Survivor (Discontinued)
by PhiraLovesLoki
Summary: As Malon's life falls to pieces during Ganondorf's reign, she is chosen to help not one, but two legendary heroes, calling into question whether or not there is really only one Hero of Time or Twilight. Epic OoT and TP crossover. DISCONTINUED (see last chapter)
1. Part I: In the Beginning

**Hi, folks! If you're new to this story, skip ahead to the last chapter. I began this story over three years ago, and ended up not liking how I'd written it. I kept trying to come back to it to finish it, but every time I did, I just wanted to start over. So, now I am: I'm starting the entire story from scratch. The last chapter of this story is a preview of the new and improved version. If you like it, add me to your author alerts so you get a notification when the new story is posted. This version will be discontinued, so it won't be updated anymore after this.**

**tl;dr: I am starting this story from scratch. The last chapter in this version is the beginning of the new version, which isn't posted yet. If you want to get alerts for the new version, sign up for my author alerts.**

Part I: In the Beginning

Chapter 1: Naps

"Nah, it's too dangerous for a girl."

"Link!"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, it's dangerous!" Link repeats.

"Yes, it's dangerous. Duh!" I exclaim. "But _you _do it just fine."

"Because I'm a boy."

"Link, seriously!" Navi says again. She rolls her eyes.

"How does being a boy make it less dangerous?" I ask. No, really, I want to know!

"It just means it's easier for me to do some of this stuff."

"Link, really!"

"How, exactly?"

"Well, I don't have to wear a dress."

"Oy," says Navi. She wanders off out the window. She thinks we argue too much.

"I don't have to wear one either." I point to my pants. "Obviously, I'm not wearing a dress now."

"Okay, fine, maybe it's because I'm stronger so I can jump farther."

"Except we had that jumping contest yesterday and I won. And _don't_ try to lie and say you let me win! You were panting and sweating like crazy."

"Was _not_," he says, frowning. "Well, you know, boys can run fast."

"Okay, so how come when we race, I always beat you?"

"Not always!" he says, his voice getting louder. "I beat you a couple times, remember?"

"Look, Link," I say, trying not to start a fight, "I just think it's silly to say that it's too dangerous for me, but not for you. You don't _have _to take me along with you or anything, okay? I just said that it might be cool if I could help. You can say no, but you can't make up silly stories about how it's too dangerous for girls, okay?"

"Fine," he answers. "I do feel bad that things get so boring here, though. I just think this is something I have to do alone."

"That's okay. I think Dad would get upset if I just totally disappeared one day because I was off fighting monsters. Although that would still be super cool."

You know what's not super cool? Manure. Even less cool? Shoveling it. I mean, I guess someone has to do it, and that someone is me. Dad is very busy, running the ranch. He's always traveling and making deals and doing paperwork. And Mr. Ingo spends all his time taking care of all the animals, working on our garden, and keeping the whole ranch in good shape. I guess I don't have _that_ much that I have to do, compared to them, but it sucks that I have to muck the stables and deal with smelly horse and cow poop all the time.

What's more, it's just _boring_. I can tell Dad tries to keep me busy, and so does Mr. Ingo. That's why I have to muck the stables, and why I have to help Mr. Ingo with the garden (both smelly things because we fertilize the garden with manure. Awesome). And that's why Dad decided to take me to market last week. I was _so _excited! I imagined that I would make lots of new friends in the square, and I could find cool games to play. Dad sometimes takes me to Kakariko Village, but it's small and we're never there very long. I was super excited to spend an entire day in the biggest city in the country.

But you know what? It wasn't that fun! First of all, Dad made me wear a stupid dress, which sucked. He said that we had to make a good impression. How does me wearing a dress make people like us more? And then selling stuff was boring, too. Dad didn't want me running off on my own while he was working, so I had to sit there quietly while people came to buy stuff. People would either buy stuff really quickly before leaving (boring), or they would stay and talk to Dad for, like, an _hour_ (even more boring—no one cares about your son's rash, lady!). And then Dad said he would be back soon after he dropped some goods off at the castle.

Well, okay, so there were some things about market that were okay. When he went to the castle, Dad gave me some rupees to go have fun with, so I got to play some Bombchu Bowling (which I ruled at—perfect score!). But then Dad didn't come back, and it was getting late. I played some more games with the money I won bowling, but then the game shops closed, and Dad still wasn't back. I knew what was probably happening, but I didn't want to believe it.

I waited near the fountain for a bit because there was nothing else to do, and then some guards came by and questioned me about what I was doing. I think they thought I was some sort of scamp or something. Annoying! And then they _made _me stay near the fountain so they could keep an eye on me from their posts. Did they send someone to the castle to go find my dad? No. That makes no sense!

Then this kid came along, and that's where things got interesting. He was dressed funny, wearing this really silly hat, like a forest elf's hat. Normally, forest people wear their hats all pointy (at least that's what I've read in books); this guy was wearing his all floppy, like he thought he was super cool or something. He was walking around the square like he'd never been there before, and he had this weird glowing thing lighting the way for him. And then he approached me! I guess he would have, since I was, like, _the _only person still in the square besides the guards, and he looked about my age.

"Hey, do you know where the castle is?" he asked me.

"Desses, that's a fairy!" I exclaimed, totally not paying attention to whatever he was saying.

"Yes," said the fairy. "Do you know where the castle is?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, pointing at the track Dad had disappeared down. "What, _you're_ going to the castle?"

"Yes," the boy replied.

I couldn't help myself and started laughing. "You're a fairy person!" I told him. "You're a little boy! They won't let me in there to look for my dad, so I don't think they're going to let a kid my age with a fairy and a funny hat go in either."

"My hat's not funny," the boy said quietly, frowning.

As he adjusted it, trying to make it look less hilarious, the fairy threw me an annoyed look. "We have to see the princess. If the guards won't let us in, we'll find some other way."

"Well, while you're at it, if you see a big man in blue overalls, tell him his daughter is waiting, 'kay?" I figured I might as well humor them. As if they could get into the _castle!_ Desses!

"Oh, okay," said the boy. "We'll look for him."

"Awesome," I said, plopping back down on a bench. "Have fun!"

But to my surprise, not even twenty minutes later, I could hear the rumbling of our cart and the clip clops of our horse's hoof beats. Dad was back! He gave me a big hug and apologized for getting caught up in conversations with friends up at the castle. I just gave him a hug and forgave him, even though I didn't believe him.

"That boy Link seems nice," he mentioned as we made our way home. It was late, and I was really hungry, so I wasn't paying that much attention. Plus, whenever this happens, he always tries to pretend that nothing's wrong. "He seemed worried that you were out there all alone."

"Uh-huh," I nodded. "Wait, who?"

"That boy, Link," my dad repeated. "The one who came and found me for you."

"Oh, right," I said, but I wasn't paying attention. Had that kid really gotten into the castle? Too bad I didn't try to go with him!

"Yeah, I let him know he was welcome to visit any time. Hopefully we'll be seeing him soon. I'd like to thank him properly and all."

"Yeah," I said. But I was still thinking about how that kid could have managed to break into the _castle_. And my stomach was growling, so it was still hard to pay attention.

Sure enough, though, the next day Link came by. Him and his fairy, Navi. At first I figured they would just stay for dinner and sleep in the loft before leaving to break into other castles, but Link stayed the next morning and helped out around the ranch. Over the past week, he and Navi have been telling me all about their adventure so far and their dangerous quest. I've been sworn to secrecy, obviously, but it's easy to keep secrets from Dad and Mr. Ingo. We always make sure to talk about stuff in the silo's back room, where no one ever comes anymore.

Link told me all about how he was having these weird dreams, and how he had to save the Deck-something tree guy from this _giant spider_, which sounded awesome. He has a sword and a shield, so he's like a mini hero or something. The only other weapons he has are things you could pick up in the forest, like nuts and sticks, which is kind of unhero-like. His slingshot looks homemade. But I think his story is real, especially since he actually got into the castle! He told me about how the guards aren't always paying attention, and he just had Navi slip under his hat so he could crawl around in the shadows.

What's very funny is that Link and Navi seem to think that _my _life was interesting. Obviously, I told them otherwise, but they're still really curious about everything about the ranch. Link in particular really likes the horses. Somehow, he hadn't seen one in person before. Isn't that funny?

He especially likes Epona. Epona is a very special horse, at least very special to me. She's the first horse I get to raise and train all by myself; Dad decided that it was time for me to learn! So the last time one of our mares was foaling, Dad made sure I was the one to deliver, and out popped Epona!

She's still just a filly, but I can already tell she's going to be the greatest horse who ever lived. Right now, she only listens to me, though, so hopefully I'll be able to fix that soon. She almost listens to Link, which is a good sign. Someday, she'll be known as the greatest horse ever, and her descendants will be famous, too. My dream is to go down in history as the best horse breeder and trainer in all of history. Even better than Dad! Not that I don't love him of course, and want him to be successful. I just want to be even more successful!

But I'm not even ten years old yet, so I've only got Epona to take care of full-time right now. Hopefully, Dad will decide I can have a couple more horses to raise, or maybe he'll let me make some of the breeding decisions. Well, maybe not that yet. For now, I'll just stick with Epona, and helping out Mr. Ingo. It means I have more time to just hang out and talk with Link and Navi.

Noticing that our argument is over, Navi floats back into the silo and settles on Link's shoulder. "So, did you talk about …" she asks Link, although I don't catch the last bit as she whispers into his ear.

Link blushes, embarrassed. "Uh, no," he admits. What's he admitting to? I hate when people know things I don't. But Navi looks crossly at him, and he sighs. "Navi and I are worried about saying anything, but we thought you should know that when we found your dad the other day, he was … uh … taking a nap." Link's face is completely red, and by the time he finishes his sentence, his voice is teensy.

Dad has a weird problem. Mr. Ingo and I don't like to talk about it. Yeah, I knew he was taking a nap. Dad takes a lot of naps. Many times, they're intentional; Dad will mention to me or—more often—to Mr. Ingo that he's just going to close his eyes for a few minutes and that we shouldn't disturb him. And then hours later, he'll come downstairs from his office, for supper. Less often, it's accidental. I know that Dad would never have fallen asleep on purpose when he knew I was waiting. But all the same, things turned out fine. It's not like I was stuck in the market town overnight or anything.

To be honest, I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done about it. I've overheard Mr. Ingo and Dad fighting about it, with Mr. Ingo insisting that Dad see a doctor, and with Dad shouting about how he's helped Mr. Ingo out by giving him this job, and that obviously, he doesn't have a problem. I tend to just shut myself in my room or out in the silo until the fight is over. I haven't said anything to Dad about it. If he doesn't listen to Mr. Ingo, why would he listen to me? Besides, I guess Dad does have a point. Our ranch is extremely prosperous, and everything that needs to get done gets done.

So I shake my head and tell Link and Navi not to worry about it. Meanwhile, my work for the day is finished, and I badly want to change the subject. "Anyway, do you want to do another race after dinner tonight? I'm thinking three laps instead of two so you actually stand a chance." I grin, hoping it'll make me forget how much I hate talking about Dad's problem.

"Actually," Link says, looking sad, "Navi and I were talking last night, and I think we should leave tomorrow morning. So we need to get lots of sleep tonight."

"Oh," I reply. I mean, I knew he would have to leave at some point, but I thought he would maybe say something to me sooner. "You're going up to Death Mountain, you said?"

"Yeah," Navi says. She also looks sad, but not as sad as Link. Navi seems to be more focused, which isn't a bad thing, I guess. "We have to go talk to the Gorons about the next Spiritual Stone."

"That makes sense," I agree. "You're, uh, going to visit again, though, right?"

"Definitely!" Link seems to _really _mean this. "I mean, when we can," he adds because Navi just glared at him a bit. "Hopefully it won't take too long."

At dinner, Dad and Mr. Ingo are also sad to see Link and Navi go, and they prepare some food for him for his trip. We all go to bed early, but I can't sleep. I'm itching to go on an adventure, but this isn't one I can go on! Totally not fair.

The next morning, I head up to the loft in the barn, where Link and Navi have been staying. They're already awake and getting ready to go. "I just wanted to talk before we all say goodbye," I say. "I know that Dad and Mr. Ingo are going to be down there to say goodbye, so it'll be less private."

"That makes sense," says Link. "I promise, we'll be back as soon as possible, and I'll tell you all about what happens."

"Bring souvenirs," I say, half-joking. And then, "Oh, no, bring me a cool weapon or artifact or something!" Not joking now.

"I'll try!" Link says, and I think he's serious because Navi looks annoyed.

We go down to the gate where Dad and Mr. Ingo are waiting. We all shake hands goodbye because it's weird for adults to hug a kid they barely know, and I don't want to hug a boy because it's kind of icky, you know? And Link and Navi head out towards Kakariko Village, and life just got boring again.

"That's a nice kid," Dad says to Mr. Ingo.

"Definitely," Mr. Ingo agrees. "Excellent work ethic."

"I'm, ah, going to head in and work on paperwork," Dad says. Mr. Ingo rolls his eyes; we both know that Dad is probably going to fall asleep at his desk, where I'll find him when I go to get him for lunch. I follow Mr. Ingo to the barn.

"Mr. Ingo," I say, "do you think maybe we should do something?"

"What do you mean, Malon?" he asks me as he grabs a milk pail.

"I mean about Dad," I explain. "When we didn't come back from market, it was because he fell asleep at the castle. Link found him and woke him up for me."

Mr. Ingo looks at me funny. "Is that true?"

I shrug. "Link told me so, and I believe him. And I thought maybe that happened when I was waiting."

I wait as Mr. Ingo puts his pail down and crosses his arms. He thinks for a moment. "I think I'll go have another talk with your father," he says. "Do you mind handling the milking for me for now?"

"I've got it covered," I reply, but now I'm really nervous. I guess I didn't realize that it was possible to get adults into trouble until now. But even though I feel bad, Dad really needs to work harder to avoid taking naps! Mr. Ingo and I don't take naps. We both work hard all day! And that's why I'm going to help by milking the cows, instead of running out to the silo, where I can curl up and feel safe and pretend that we don't have any problems.


	2. Midnight

Chapter 2: Midnight

"And it _exploded!" _Navi says, and she glows brighter to sort of demonstrate.

"It did what?" I ask, amazed.

"I know, right?" Link says, laughing. "I'm proud of myself for killing this dino-thing, and it's definitely dead, but instead of just falling apart and disappearing like it's supposed to, it starts to glow, and I'm standing right over it, looking at my work, yeah?"

"And BOOM!" Navi explains. "He's just lucky I realized what was happening in time."

"I realized it in time!" says Link, glaring a little. "You're tiny, you know. You wouldn't have been able to pull me back."

"I did shout, though."

"Yeah, but I started moving first."

"Well, _you-_"

"Yeah, so then what happened?" I ask, cutting off the fight.

"Well, then we fought these lizard guys! It was totally awesome-"

"I happened to notice there was a giant lizard-dino in the center of the room-"

"I blew up a staircase! I was a genius-"

"We had to fight those lizards again, but we were even better the second time-"

"It was this _enormous_ dino-thing! I mean, really huge! I had to blow it up from the _inside-_"

"And then Darunia—he's the leader of the Gorons—he made Link his Sworn Brother!"

"And he gave me this!" Link pulls something out of his pack and puts it on the straw in between us. It's a red gemstone the size of my fist.

"Wow!" I say, and I really mean it. This thing is huge! If we could sell something like this, we'd have enough money to hire assistants, and I wouldn't be needed on the ranch anymore, and I could go off and adventure for a while.

"So now we have two," Navi says. "We should go after the third one soon. I have a feeling it's pretty urgent."

"How can you have a feeling about that?" Link asks her. "I mean, technically it's been urgent both times so far."

"Fine, fine," she says. "I guess now that we've got two out of three, instead of just one, I feel like we could get this done quickly, get world peace going, and go home."

"Well, you're going to visit me again, right?" I ask. I have fun with these two around! And Dad lets me play more.

"Yeah!" says Link, and this time, Navi doesn't glare or anything. That's because she and I are friends now. I think we both missed each other. "I mean, I don't think we can visit again until after we've brought all three stones to Princess Zelda," Link adds. "She asked for them right away, yeah? I think it might be okay if we take some time off, like now, to rest before we go after the next one, but once we get the last one, we should just hurry to get there."

It sounds like something Navi would tell him to say, but it's probably the right thing to do. "So I guess we'd better have extra fun while you're visiting!" I say. "Let's hide your stuff properly so we can go race."

I win, of course. And I win the digging contest that we had to have suddenly because some late spring frost killed a bunch of vegetable plants in the garden and we have to replant some. I also win the horse-grooming contest, although I think that's not fair because Link hasn't ever done that before coming here. So we have a somersault contest, which I also win. The only contest that I don't win is the slingshot contest.

Link did bring me a cool souvenir. There are these really neat rocks up on Death Mountain that are shiny and black. They were being sold at market, but they were kind of expensive, so I didn't get one. The one Link brought for me is way bigger than the ones in market, and it's free! I put it on my shelf with my books and other cool stuff that's important to me.

At supper, though, Link notices that things are sort of weird between Dad and Mr. Ingo. I know why because I know most of what goes on here. After Mr. Ingo went inside to talk to Dad about his napping problems, the two of them have stopped talking very much. So supper is awkward because now no one is really talking very much. Link's very smart, though, because after he tries to start a conversation a couple times, he stays quiet.

Afterwards, even though it's time for me to go to bed, I make an excuse about needing to check something in the barn. Instead, Link and I hurry out to the silo, and Navi stays behind so if Dad or Mr. Ingo look out at the barn, they'll see her glowing and think Link and I are in the loft, where she and Link are staying the night.

"What's going on with your dad and Mr. Ingo?" Link cuts right to the chase.

"Mr. Ingo went to talk to Dad about how he takes so many naps, and they had a huge fight. They haven't really talked since," I explain.

Link frowns. "That sounds bad. Are you okay?"

He's asking a good question. I'm not sure that I'm okay. Sometimes I want to cry because of how Mr. Ingo and Dad are acting, and sometimes I get really worried about Dad's napping habits. "I don't know," I tell Link. It feels weird having someone I can talk to about this. "I guess it's making me really sad and angry sometimes. I don't think there's anything I can do."

"What exactly is the problem?" Link asks. "I mean, does your Dad do it on purpose, or is he maybe sick?"

"I'm not sure," I answer honestly. "I think it was an accident when you found him at the castle, but a lot of the time, he says he's going to take a short nap, and I have to wake him up after a few hours. I think he knows I don't like it. But you saw how he's treating Mr. Ingo now. I don't want to talk to Dad about it if he's going to treat me like that, too."

"I don't think he would treat you like that!" Link says a little loudly. "You're his daughter! I don't think parents do that."

"You don't think so? What about your parents?"

Link looks upset. "I don't have any," he says quietly.

"What?" How can someone not have parents? "Then where did you come from?"

"Kokiri come from the Great Deku Tree," he tells me. "And even then, he's not much of a parent. I don't think normal parents would be okay with me running around the country, putting myself in danger, you know? And the Great Deku Tree is the one who sent me in the first place."

"I didn't realize," I say, and I put my hand on his arm. I think that's something older people do when other people are upset. It seems to help.

"No, it's okay," he says. "I'm only ten years old, but I'll still look like this as I get older. My friend Saria is almost eighty years old, but she looks like she's our age. So we're not really kids, or I guess not regular ones who have parents and then get older." He looks sad, and stares at a pile of straw on the floor. "Anyway," he continues, taking a deep breath, "I think maybe you could talk to your dad and he wouldn't get upset at you."

"You're probably right," I reply, because he probably is right. "I should get back to the house," I realize. "Mr. Ingo is probably waiting for me to come back in."

"Mr. Ingo? Not your dad?" I wait a few moments for him to realize my dad is probably asleep already. "Oh, right, never mind."

"Come on, let's go back."

Mr. Ingo is indeed waiting in the kitchen when I walk back in, but he doesn't ask where I was, or why I took so long. I head upstairs and wash up in the bathroom before heading to my bedroom and putting on my nightgown. I look out the window and see that Link and Navi must already be asleep. Their lamp is blown out and I can't see Navi's glow anymore. I turn down the lamp beside my bed and crawl in.

The next few days are filled with more contests, and more tales of adventure. Link's been hunting these horrible spiders wherever he goes. He and I even find some around the ranch, and I help him take them out. It's pretty fun, and we collected these strange tokens from them. I didn't keep any, though, because I know that Link needs to find all of them himself.

More and more often, Navi isn't with us. She doesn't participate in our contests, so she gets bored, and the stories Link tells me are ones she knows, since she was there. And since Link's always interrupting when Navi tries to tell parts of the stories, she gets kind of annoyed anyway.

Sometimes, though, Link and I don't notice she's not around until she comes to find us for lunch or something. It's a little weird. But we still have fun together, and if Navi is upset, she should say something.

One morning at breakfast, though, I notice that Link is carrying his pack with him. We all eat quietly, but when Mr. Ingo and Dad head outside, I stop Link and Navi.

"You're leaving already?" Gross, I sound really sad saying that!

"We have to," says Navi. "We're almost done!"

"We're going to get the last stone," Link explains, "and then we're going to take it right to Princess Zelda. And once that's done, we're coming back and staying for a while to spend time with you!"

"Oh." He's right. The sooner he leaves now, the sooner he can come back and we can hang out together. "Okay, but promise you'll come back when you're done, okay?"

"We promise," answers Navi. "And we'll try to find a cool souvenir, too!"

I smile. "Well, come back soon!" I give Navi a hug (you hug a fairy by carefully using your thumb and forefinger as arms), and then Link hugs me. Very tightly. I guess I'll risk cooties for now.

I close the gate behind my friends before I scurry towards the barn, where I'm starting today's chores. Mr. Ingo is inside, milking the cows. "Did your friends leave already?" he asks.

"Yeah, they have somewhere they need to go," I tell him. I can't tell him where they're going or what they're doing, because I've been sworn to secrecy.

"That's too bad. They're good people," he says. He sounds a little focused on work.

"Mr. Ingo?" I ask as I start brushing the sheep. "Link said that maybe I should talk to Dad about how he sleeps a lot. Do you think that's a good idea?"

He's quiet for a few moments, which seems like a bad sign. "Maybe," he finally answers. "But only if it's something you feel okay with. You don't _have_ to talk to him about it if you don't want to, okay?"

"Okay," I answer. Sometimes I feel like Mr. Ingo is a better dad than Dad is. I don't like that feeling.

For now, I don't think I'll say anything. Mr. Ingo and Dad still aren't talking, and I don't feel okay taking the risk of Dad not talking to me either. That would be too much.

As the days pass, I wonder where Link and Navi are. Their trip to see the Gorons took about a week, so after a week, I can't stop glancing at the gate. But they don't come. Maybe it's something I did? Maybe it's because things are so weird with Dad and Mr. Ingo. Maybe he made friends with someone else and would rather spend time with that new person. After all, I don't have any great stories to tell. I just work on a ranch all day and make up silly contests.

That night, I have lots of trouble sleeping. I'm not sure why, except I have this horrible feeling that something terrible is going to happen. Not anything specific, just a very general feeling.

It's maybe midnight, or close to it, when there's an odd tapping on my window. It can't be a branch; there aren't any trees near the window. I peek out from my blankets. It's Navi!

I run downstairs, putting on my boots after I've run down the stairs. Otherwise, I might wake Dad or—more likely—Mr. Ingo. I don't even bother to grab a coat before I run out to let Link in.

When I unlock the gate, something's really wrong. Link looks strange, like he's been through something really bad and isn't exactly the same person. I mean, obviously, he's still Link. It just seems like he's seen some bad things. Navi has already sped back towards us, and she's acting the same way, too.

"Link, Navi, what's going on?" I ask. That feeling that something bad is happening? It's not going away.

"Link, hurry, it's almost time!" Navi hisses.

"Time for what? Link, Navi, do you have any idea what time it is?" I ask.

"Eleven twenty-four," Navi responds instantly. Well, I guess they _do_ know what time it is.

"Malon, we have to go, but I just …" Link pauses, "I just needed to see you."

"You're really scaring me." He really is. I'm shaking, and I don't think it's because I'm cold.

"We're going to be away for a while," he says. "A long time. I can't say how long, but I _promise_ that we'll be back."

"I don't get it," I say.

"You won't, not right now, but I promise that we _will_ be back. Things are going to be bad, but I will be back to make things right."

"Link …" but I'm not sure what I'm trying to say.

"Link!" Navi sounds like this is an emergency. Why do they have to rush? Why are they here so late? Why—Desses!

Link's grabbed my arms and pulled me to him, but instead of hugging me, he's _kissing _me! And it lasts more than a second! Ew! What is he doing?

And then it's over. Navi is already zooming out the gate. Link looks at me once more before rushing after her. Something's changed. He just _kissed_ me and it was _really_ gross and weird and I don't know why he did it.

I shake as I close and lock the gate. So much for trying to sleep tonight!

And then things get weird. No, I mean it. Even weirder than my friend showing up at almost midnight so he can kiss me for some reason. The next morning, there's lots of smoke coming from the direction of market and the castle. It's so bad that Dad decides it's not worth trying to go and sell anything. We're going to lose a lot of money, but even Mr. Ingo agrees with Dad's decision.

The next morning, a pack of wolfos almost makes it into the ranch by digging a hole under the fence. Mr. Ingo has to take our ancient bow and arrows to scare them off, and then he and I fixed the hole and spent the afternoon checking to make sure that there were no weak spots.

Another day, and we notice we haven't had any sun in a few days. The flowers have wilted and our vegetable patch looks dry, even though I've watered it three times.

The next day, none of the cuccos have laid eggs, not even our most reliable hens. A stalchild somehow finds its way into the ranch that evening.

And then the following morning, everything is explained. It's still dark out when Dad shakes me awake and tells me that I need to pull on my best work dress. I'm really, really sleepy, but I can tell that there's some sort of emergency, which makes me shaky, too. It can't even be half past five.

But after we exit the house, I feel like my stomach has turned into a big, heavy rock. The gate is open, and several scary lizard-men sit atop monster-horses. The person in the middle of these lizard-soldiers is a giant man with greenish-brown skin and orange hair, sitting on a horse I can _tell_ isn't a real horse. I know who this man is.

"Good morning, little girl," sneers Ganondorf. "Now we can begin."

Begin what?

"Mr. Talon," he addresses Dad. "I have done my research on you. It seems that since your wife passed away eight years ago, you have let this ranch fall into extreme debt. You take breaks on a regular basis and rely on your employee and your young daughter to take care of the work. You purchase expensive items on credit, which you never pay back. It is my belief that you are unfit to run this ranch. I am transferring ownership to Mr. Ingo. I expect you to gather your belongings and leave this establishment by the time I depart. Your presence here will only be a distraction.

"Mr. Ingo, you obviously have been working hard for your entire life. However, you have been aware of your employer's negligent work habits, and yet you have done nothing about these problems. Your punishment will be to take charge of this ranch until the entire debt is paid off to me. I will be supervising this ranch closely to ensure that you are paying off your debt as quickly as possible.

"Miss Malon, you have yet to be ruined by your father's poor work ethic. To prevent you from becoming lazy and irresponsible, you will remain on this ranch as Mr. Ingo's employee. In order to prevent you from running away to your father, you are forbidden to leave this ranch until the debt is paid. Again, I will be supervising this ranch closely, and if you were to leave, I would know immediately.

"I believe that these changes will improve this ranch's productivity, and therefore improve Hyrule's economy. Mr. Talon, I suggest you hurry into Mr. Ingo's house to gather your belongings. We will see you out." Dad's face is blank as he heads into the house.

Horror. Pit in my stomach. Link _failed_. He was supposed to stop this from happening. He was going to stop Ganondorf with Princess Zelda's help. And as stupid as it sounds, I really thought he would be able to do it! He's the boy who snuck into the castle. I saw the stones he'd gotten by saving lives. It was like he was a real hero, and somehow, he failed anyway.

But last week, he told me that he would come back, and that he would fix things. He seems so sure of it. And something was really different about him. He wasn't an imposter or anything, but something about him was changed. And even though he did kiss me, and it was gross, I do believe him.

"Link will be back," I blurt out. I brace myself. He'll probably kill me right now or something.

But Ganondorf laughs instead. "You've got some nerve, little girl." I hate being called a little girl. I'm almost ten! "That kid was only ever a minor annoyance. And now he's gone. My dominance is complete and unthreatened." His grin is really, _really_ scary. "He's not coming back, and you're going to have to get used to that."

Dad comes out of the house with a bulging suitcase. It's getting really hard not to cry, but I _can't _cry. I think part of growing up is learning when it's okay to cry, and when it's not. And without anyone telling me so, I know that I can't cry in front of Ganondorf. I did a dangerous thing just by telling him that Link would be back; Ganondorf seems like the kind of person who wouldn't mind killing someone like me for something like that. I know I can't let him know how scared I am. He would use that and make me feel worse, or hurt Dad or Mr. Ingo.

I might have to wait for Link to come back, but in the meantime, Ganondorf isn't going to get me.


	3. Weakness

Chapter 3: Weakness

Ganondorf _may_ have gotten me.

After a couple months under Ganondorf's reign, most of Hyrule lost hope. I don't know all of this first-hand, of course, because I'm forbidden to leave the ranch. Ingo has to leave the ranch sometimes to try to sell product, and he brings back news. That's how I know that my dad has become Kakariko's town drunk. That's how I know that the Zoras have been completely wiped out. And that's how I know that almost everyone, minus a few diehard believers, have begun to accept that we're not ousting this tyrant anytime soon.

We've all managed to piece together some semblance of a story. The morning after Link's final visit to the ranch, Ganondorf made his move to usurp the throne. He infiltrated the city with his army of monsters, and he slaughtered the entire Royal family. On his way, however, he stumbled upon the Temple of Time, which had mysteriously been opened. Through the Temple, he accessed the Triforce, which turned him into the Supreme Jackass Ruler of Hyrule.

And most Hyruleans are shaking their heads, wondering how this could have happened. Didn't anyone suspect that Ganondorf was deceitful when he pledged loyalty to the crown? Why was the Door of Time open in the first place? The Triforce was supposed to be obscenely well protected, after all.

Unlike the majority of Hyrule's inhabitants, I know the answers to these questions. Yes, someone _did_ suspect Ganondorf's true motives, but no one would listen to Princess Zelda. And I know why the Temple was wide open. I knew that Link and Princess Zelda had been planning to get to the Triforce, to wish away Ganondorf and keep peace. Obviously, Ganondorf interrupted the plan in progress.

Knowing what must have happened also means that I've lost hope that Link will actually return. I was _so_ sure that he would, after that frightening midnight meeting. But now I know why Ganondorf laughed at me for believing in Link's eventual return. Link was one of the many casualties of war on that first day. He and the Princess were working together; they probably died together, too. Navi is also probably dead; if she weren't, why didn't she show up at the ranch to tell me what had happened? No, I have to stop wishing and hoping. They're all dead.

Not that anything else is truly alive. There has been very little rain or sun since that terrible day. Our crops barely grow, our cows give a meager amount of milk, and our horses grow weaker. On days where we get several eggs, Ingo and I celebrate. Many days, we have none. We have sold and eaten the last of our sheep and goats.

Ingo takes what little product we amass to Kakariko Village, where conditions are no better. We're able to sell everything we manage to produce simply because the villagers need anything we can provide. Unfortunately, with the new taxes in place, and with our debt to pay off, most of the money goes right into Ganondorf's pocket. What little we're left with, goes immediately towards food, sometimes other necessities. Even if we did have money to spare, there's not much anyone's selling.

Lizard soldiers stand outside each entrance to the ranch, ostensibly for our protection from bandits. But mostly they're waiting to capture me, in case I try to defy Ganondorf's rule that I may never leave the ranch. I'm not sure what the point of this rule is; I never bought Ganondorf's brief explanation that I might go live with Dad and acquire his bad working habits. I'm not even allowed to make the trip to Kakariko instead of Ingo. That seems rather stupid, since sometimes it's more convenient for me to go in his place. But it's a rule, and it's religiously enforced. I've been captured twelve times. The farthest I've gotten is the river in front of Kakariko; I was so close. But I get better each time.

Ganondorf has explained to us that if we can manage to provide him with the most perfect steed the world has ever seen, he will forgive our entire debt, let Dad come back to the ranch, and lift his stupid rule that says I'm forbidden to leave (to clarify, Ganondorf himself does not refer to his rule as stupid. I do). But we know this is a lie. And I know the purpose behind the lie.

Ever since Ganondorf began to stop by the ranch to observe our progress, he's noticed Epona. Not only has he noticed that she is a superb, one-of-a-kind horse, but he's also noticed that she single-handedly (hoofedly?) keeps me from losing all hope and falling to a giant pit of despair and insanity. And so he made his proposition knowing that the only horse to fit his bill would be Epona. If we try to fulfill that bargain, we will have to give him Epona, and then he'll explain that she's not good enough.

And that'll mean he's won. That'll mean we've broken.

Ingo and I disagree about whether or not it's worth trying. Epona _is _the finest horse we've ever seen, and unfortunately for me, I can't take complete credit for how incredible she is. There's just something about her that's kept her beautiful and fierce, even as our other horses sicken and die, and the strongest ones, like Bric-a-Brac, grow gray and frail. Ingo is starting to grow desperate, and soon he'll be ready to make a deal with the devil. I'll never be. I won't give in.

It's not worth it anyway. Ganondorf has _won_. The entire country has been under his control for years, and there's no sign of a champion on the horizon. Ingo's hair has gone white, and he's barely in his forties. Dad is dying of cirrhosis and I haven't seen him since the day he left. The ranch is falling apart; half of my day consists of trying to repair the buildings and coax the greenery back to life. The other half involves trying to convince the animals that dying is not an option; many of them have given up.

Meanwhile, I am a prisoner. I'm not allowed to set foot outside these walls. Ingo and I scrape by, somehow avoiding starvation. I think the only reason my teeth haven't fallen out is because we often steal our own milk. But my greasy hair comes out in clumps, my skin is pasty under layers of grime, and these years have turned me into a skeleton. The breasts I sprouted at puberty were short-lived, and my monthly cycles never arrived. My bloodshot eyes look like craters in my face.

Giving Ganondorf Epona would be the last straw, but he's already won. We're all dying; some of us are just taking longer than others. And Link is dead and gone.

I stopped believing in the Goddesses on my fourteenth birthday. I still curse using their name, but only out of habit. Ingo still prays to them every night; I hear him when I can't sleep. Which is every night, of course. My mattress is sunken, since we can't re-feather it. My blankets are thin rags, and my nightgowns are dirty little smocks; whatever money we scrounge up for clothing goes towards overcoats and boots, things we need in order to work outside. Little things, like nightgowns, are unimportant.

It's easy to lose track of time, especially when your living hell lasts for years on end. But I know that my birthday is coming up in a month. I've already made plans for it. There's a country to the south, one that's still holding up pretty well against Ganondorf's army. Getting there will mean traveling through a war zone, but it can't be worse than the way I have to live right now, in my own home. On my seventeenth birthday, I will make one more escape attempt.

And if they capture me again, then I'll just have to escape in a much easier way. I stole a knife from the kitchen, and it's hidden under my floorboards. I don't care if I get out of here, dead or alive, as long as I get out.

Summer is dragging on. The days are hot, which is bad, since we sweat a lot and dehydrate extremely quickly. I'm not sure if we hate the summer or winter better, though, since in the winter, we're so cold, we have to wake up every few hours and rub our extremities. Ingo's already lost two toes. I came close to losing two fingers and a toe last year, and so I'm secretly relieved that no matter what happens, I will not be here to see the next winter.

My birthday feels as if it will never show up. I've already packed a tiny pack with what I think I'll need. My blankets (so frayed that they both fit in and leave me with plenty of room), an atlas, the warmest clothes I have, an empty water skein, and a brooch that belonged to my mother. I had to steal it from Ingo to keep him from selling it, but I didn't save it for safekeeping. I plan on selling it once I escape. Or if that fails, I'll leave it for Ingo. One less mouth to feed, and some extra cash, that should be helpful.

It's harder and harder to get any sleep as the nights finally grow longer, and my plan gets nearer. It'll all be over in a month. Just one month.


	4. Part II: Twilight

Part II: Twilight

Chapter 4: Sunlight

Wow. I don't remember the last time my bed was this comfortable. It's much softer than it usually is; the mattress doesn't feel lumpy or scratchy. My blankets are stowed away in my pack, but I feel as if I've been wrapped up in a sunbeam of warmth. Why would I be so comfortable, feeling so warm? It's so hot out this summer that my bedroom remains stuffy around the clock. Perhaps this is a dream. But I'm unquestionably awake right now; I know for sure that I'm _not_ dreaming. So why do I feel so cozy and content?

Oh crap. The ranch burned down while I was asleep, and I died, didn't I?

Then why are there birds chirping? Is that a cricket? Okay, what's going on?

I pry my eyes open, but I have to blink and rub them a few times just to be absolutely sure that I'm seeing what I'm seeing. But no, there's no getting around it.

I am in a beautiful forest on a warm, dry, sunny day.

How the fuck did that happen?

Well, this definitely isn't a dream. First off, if this were a dream, I would definitely not feel this awake. Also, I wouldn't look like a prisoner of war, and I'd wear something a bit less revealing and embarrassing than an old nightgown-smock. Just saying.

Wow, this place is beautiful. I'm definitely _not_ in Hyrule anymore; I'd be surprised if anywhere in Hyrule could look this untouched by war and destruction. So, that leaves me with some questions. Where the hell am I, and how the hell did I get here?

Panic rises momentarily; what about Ingo? Will he be punished for my disappearance? How can I get back to the ranch? What if he gives in and gives up Epona? But then I remember that I've been trying to run away anyways. I swallow hard; I guess I'm just nervous because I expected to run away on my own terms. But that doesn't change anything; if anything bad will happen at the ranch because I've disappeared, it was going to happen anyway. Man, I would love to see those lizard soldiers explain to Ganondorf how I managed to escape without them even noticing. Assholes.

So I'm alone in a beautiful forest; it appears to be relatively early in the day, giving me plenty of time to find shelter and maybe some food. Although, who am I kidding? I don't need all that much food each day, and sleeping out in this beautiful forest without proper shelter might actually be a step up from the past seven years. Win win.

Well, no, I suppose I should at least explore a bit. I have a feeling that if I lie back down on the soft grass and go back to sleep, I probably won't wake up back on the ranch. And do I really want to anyway?

The birds are chirping happily as I walk through the trees. What, are they in some kind of storybook fairy tale? Maybe this place is a bit too happy for me. Hell, I just saw a fucking _rabbit_ prancing through the grass. Okay, fine, I'm jaded. Whatever.

I _am_ getting kind of thirsty. Even though the trees are pretty thick, it's quite sunny out, and I'm feeling a bit parched. Also, I've been subsisting on very little water for a long time; I think a good, long drink is in order. I bet water is a bit more plentiful here than it is on the ranch. I pause; I think I hear running water a ways ahead. Maybe a river?

Oh wow. This ain't a river.

I've stumbled upon a gorgeous spring. It's so expansive that the waterfall that sounded like a river barely disturbs the water closer to my feet. The water is crystal clear; I can see the smooth stones along the bottom.

I almost don't want to disturb it. The whole place feels as if it's somehow alive. I half-expect some of the pebbles by my feet to leap into the water on their own. And sure, there are birds and bugs and frogs, but even without those creatures, this place would be practically vibrating with … something. Who am I to disrupt this idyllic scene?

I'm so ridiculously out of place. Here I am in this beautiful forest, at this gorgeous spring. Me. A hollow shell of a person, covered in dirt, wearing nothing but a dirty smock, and giving new meaning to the term _destitute_. I can't ignore the nagging question: Why the hell am I even here? I can't feel safe, nor can I be comfortable knowing that I'm split up from my family, until I _know_. It's not as if I had much left in my life to control, but escaping was _mine_. That was the last thing in my power.

But the spring stays silent on those matters. I mean, it's a spring. It's not going to talk to me. While I'm here, I might as well take a drink, and maybe get less grimy. I lean down and take a sip out of my cupped hands; the cool water shocks my poor teeth, left unprotected by weakened enamel. But it's water, and it's clean and it's plentiful. I know to be grateful for that.

A bath is definitely going to be necessary, I can tell; dirt is already floating from my hands as I dip them in the water. I wouldn't want my hands to be clean while the rest of me isn't, would I? And it's not as if I'm accustomed to warm bathing water at home, either. It takes only a few seconds for me to pull off my smock of a nightgown, and a few more before I can submerge myself completely in the cold water. Brrrrrr.

I frown as my bath uncovers scars I'd forgotten all about; the water is shallow and clean enough for me to see clearly. Here's where I tripped and fell, and a rusted nail bit into my forearm. Here's where that wolfos tried to tear off my leg three years ago. And even in my dirtiest states, I could never completely forget the scar across my abdomen. That was from my fourth escape attempt, when the guard had to use violence to subdue me. I learned from that one.

But I'm clean! My thin hair is free of its grease, and while my mottled skin isn't smooth by any means, but it's certainly just skin now, with no dirt caked on. If only I didn't have to put on that nightgown; it would be as if I were a new person. Well, if only I didn't have to wear the nightgown, _and _if only I weighed about thirty more pounds and weren't suffering from malnutrition. But, you know, who's counting?

I can see that the sun hasn't even hit its peak in the sky, but the spring is beginning to darken. There aren't any clouds, but somehow, the light seems to be fading rapidly. Where could light even be _going?_ If it's not blocked by clouds or the trees, and the sun isn't setting, where could—oh.

Behind me, all of the light seems to concentrate into a blinding, white orb. How is this even happening? Did I trigger some weird spell by setting foot in this spring? And there, there's something else, also made of golden light, forming around the orb. It's enormous. It's …

"A monkey? Seriously?"

_I am Faron_, the monkey tells me. I don't exactly hear anything when it speaks. I frown; it's as if I just know that it said its name was Faron. It's a memory, almost.

_Do not be afraid_, I know it tells me. I'm not that afraid; it's a giant monkey. But then again, it's a giant monkey that's materialized out of all of the light in the spring, and I also have no idea where I am. Also, I'm naked—oh crap, I'm naked.

As if also suddenly realizing that I'm naked, the monkey tilts its head at me. _The Goddesses have brought you here,_ it tells me. _Your purpose will be revealed in time._

"My purpose?" I ask quietly. I bristle slightly. I'm a tool to be used? I don't appreciate this. "I need to know where I am." I still don't appreciate my escape being taken from me, especially by some deities I stopped believing in years ago.

_All will be revealed in time. A friend approaches._

"I want something revealed now." I try to sound threatening. I'm not sure how threatening a stunted, scrawny, naked, teenaged woman can sound, but it's worth a try.

The monkey tilts its head again at me; is it smirking? I can't tell. _I can only recommend that you not reveal yourself, in more ways than one._

In more ways than one? But the monkey is disappearing, light is returning to all corners of the spring, and I can hear footsteps approaching.

Well, one way to not reveal myself might be to hide. Or maybe to put the nightgown back on. Besides, if a supposed friend approaches, hiding might not be the right move anyway. I scramble to the edge of the spring, trying not to splash too much, and quickly but regretfully pull the smock back on. The worn fabric sticks to my skin, and the dirt forms a sticky glue. It makes me want to tear the damn thing off and launch myself back into the spring. But the footsteps are coming closer. Shit, maybe I _should_ hide. I try to head towards some concealing brush, but the stones along the water are quite slippery. I feel the sensation of falling only after it's too late to shift my weight properly, and the beautiful blue sky comes into view as I land on my ass, my head smacking into a rock. Desses, that hurts!

"Did you hear something?" asks an approaching voice.

"It sounds like someone's in the spring," another voice replies. "I bet someone's taking a quick swim."

My smock is soaking wet as I struggle to push myself into a sitting position; I fell backwards into the shallow end of the spring. "Hello there?" asks the second voice, coming into the spring clearing. My head aches too much to reply; I feel extremely woozy, and can't seem to push myself up. I blame the monkey for this.

"Oh, whoa, are you okay?" Strong arms are pulling me up and out of the water.

I struggle to find my balance, which is tough to do when you're dizzy from a fall and being tugged up by someone else. "My head," I manage to get out as I try to avoid slipping some more. The person lifts me up a bit and carries me towards dry grass.

His companion is waiting for him; it's a man dressed in a strange fashion, wearing sandals and a somewhat pointy brown mustache that doesn't match his sandy hair. I can tell from his expression that I was not what he expected to find in this spring. He's gripping the reins of a young mare, who looks as if she finds the entire situation highly amusing.

"You all right there?" says the person who helped me up. I nod before turning around to face whoever it is.

Whoever it is happens to be a young man, maybe my age, maybe older. Certainly taller; even if my growth weren't somewhat stunted, barring some serious genetic miracle, I would still be looking up at his face. He's dressed similarly to his somewhat older companion. Their tan skin reminds me of what mine used to look like; I bet they're farmers or ranchers of some kind.

But it's his face that I can't get over.

His dirty blond hair is rather shaggy, and his face is boyishly handsome. His blue eyes seem to mask some innate wild streak; I can almost feel it trying to break free. But I know this face. It's just not possible.

He's staring at me with … recognition? Surprise? Shock? He releases his grip on my arms, as if I'm suddenly a possible threat. Of course, I wobble a bit, and he reaches out again to steady me.

Desses, I need some steadying, and not just because my head is still throbbing angrily from my fall. This _can't_ be Link. For so many reasons. Link was a Kokiri. My _fairy boy_. He wouldn't have grown up, and this person before me is certainly an adult. And fairy boy is _dead_, slaughtered years ago by Ganondorf. Maybe I didn't see it with my own eyes, but what's to suggest otherwise? He said he'd be back, and he never came back. Ganondorf laughed at the prospect of Link's return. The world ended. And I know in my heart that Link wouldn't have failed as long as he was still breathing—ten years old or not.

The man in front of me is neither ten years old, nor dead. And, it occurs to me, even if Link had somehow survived and magically become Hylian instead of Kokiri, would he really even resemble the man before me? Fairy boy's hair was far more golden, his nose longer, his eyes grayer, his face more serious. This can't be Link. He's just a man with a resemblance to what might have been, if my friend were alive and capable of aging.

A few seconds have passed, and the young man is still staring at me. I can't stop staring at him either, so I suppose fair is fair.

"All you all right, miss?" I hear the other man ask. No, I'm not all right. I went to sleep last night in my own personal hell, woke up in what can only be described as a magical forest, had some kind of giant golden monkey talk to me, and slipped and nearly cracked my skull open. And _now_ I'm looking into the face of a person who simultaneously _has_ to be Link and _can't_ be Link. Definitely not all right.

But the monkey thing—Faron, it said its name was—had told me not to reveal myself, in more ways than one. Maybe I should keep everything to myself, at least until I understand what's going on. My instincts, at least, are humming at me to make up some bullshit story. Wherever I am, this is not Hyrule; these people and this forest are untouched by Ganondorf's destruction. But what kind of bullshit story can I think of? How do I explain my appearance? My sudden transportation? My head hurts just thinking about it.

Well, no. My head hurts because I just smacked it against a rock.

Oh. Okay.

I never thought I'd consider a head injury to be helpful, but I guess it's the perfect cover story. After all, if I can't think of a good explanation, I might as well fake amnesia and not need an explanation at all.

"I hit my head," I say, trying to sound dazed. To be fair, I was dazed a few moments ago, before I looked into this man's face and my brain jolted back into gear. I gingerly touch my head where it collided with the rock. Ouch! That hurts a _lot_. Less acting will be necessary.

"Those rocks can get pretty slippery," the other man acknowledges.

"What's your name?" the man who looks like Link asks me suddenly. His tone isn't completely free of concern, but it's extremely accusatory. "Where are you from?"

"Link, that's hardly polite," his companion cautions.

So he looks like Link, and his name is Link, and I have this insistent nagging in my brain that says this is _Link_. But logically, this isn't the same Link, and clearly he doesn't know who I am. My head throbs. I need an explanation for all this.

"Sorry, Rusl," Link says to his companion, finally breaking eye contact with me. He looks back at me sheepishly. "Uh, look, where are you from? So we can get you home," he adds, lest I think he's interrogating me again.

"I—I don't remember," I lie. I hate lying. But I need to lie. Besides, I remind myself, I was willing to do whatever it took to escape the ranch, to escape Ganondorf. This might not be the escape I planned (or _anything_ I planned), but I still have to do whatever it takes. And apparently, that includes lying to these people.

"Well, that's no good," says the man, apparently named Rusl. "It's okay if you don't remember; we can take care of you at the village until we figure it out." The man named Link hasn't spoken again; he's still staring at me with that very funny look on his face. I hope I didn't look that stupid when I was looking at him.

We used to be kind to strangers, just like this. Everyone was. Sometimes people would come to the ranch and stay the night, like Link did; putting them up was the right thing to do, if someone needed help. But then life as we knew it was over, and no one was trustworthy. If I had gotten a chance to leave the ranch, I know I would have resorted to stealing to some degree. And yet, this man isn't demanding to know anything about me before making such an offer; he just wants to see me home, today or tomorrow, no benefit to him.

Who _are_ these people?

_I can only recommend that you not reveal yourself, in more ways than one._ The strange monkey's words ring in my ears, even though I never heard them. Let's hope it meant for me to feign amnesia, because I despise being wrong.

"Do you remember your name? Anything about you?" the man asks. He comes closer to me, and the man named Link drops my arms hastily, as if he's embarrassed. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Everything—I remember everything. I remember going to bed last night in my room on the ranch. I remember waking up in the winter to try to stay warm. I remember crying on my thirteenth birthday because I was convinced that the day would be special because Link would come back. I remember Link's panicked expression, his face full of pain, his lips on mine. "I just remember now, that's all," I lie, hoping that this kind of amnesia exists. "I was lying in the spring and my head hurt."

"That's okay, don't worry about that," the man—Rusl—says reassuringly. It's weird to feel reassured when there is nothing to need reassurance about in the first place. "Do you at least maybe remember your name?"

Again, I hope that whatever kind of amnesia I'm making up _actually_ exists. Otherwise, they'll know I'm lying, or they'll think I'm stupid. "Uh, I think my name is Malon," I say. Shit, should I have thought of an alias? But they don't seem to recognize my name anyway, or find it unusual either. But what other information do they need to know? What else can I tell them without revealing too much? How much is too much? Damn monkey should have given me some actual guidelines. I suppose I can "remember" things as necessary, or by accident. Maybe I look traumatized enough that they won't pressure me.

"Okay, that's okay, don't worry." The man leads me slowly to the horse, who's eyeing me curiously. "We'll take you to our village and see what we can do to get you home safely. Have you ridden a horse before?" He pulls a blanket from a pack and gives it to me to wrap myself in; I'm still soaked from my bath and subsequent fall.

See, this is exactly the kind of trouble I knew I'd run into. I'm mere moments into the amnesia plan, and I have no idea whether or not I would remember how to ride a horse. "Maybe," I admit, feeling just as foolish as I sound.

"That's okay, I'll help you up. Link, you should ride with her; even if she does recall any riding skills, she hit her noggin pretty hard."

"Uh, yeah, sure," he replies. He looks like he hit his head, too. The other man, Rusl, expertly and gently flips me up into the saddle. A moment later, Link swings into the saddle behind me and grabs the reins. It's been years since I sat on a horse like this, with another rider behind me. It's laughable; I'm probably one of the best natural riders in Hyrule, and here I am being babied, as if I've never ridden before.

"You'd better take it slowly with Epona," the other man says. "I'll hurry back to the village and talk to Bo, but if Malon here has a serious enough injury to cause memory loss, you need to take your time. No jolting."

Epona. This horse is named Epona. Truth be told, she does appear somewhat similar. But my Epona is taller; this mare certainly seems to have a much kinder temperament, too. Their coloring is also different, in the way that two people with brown hair still have different hair. Very, very odd.

Rusl jogs off through a path in the forest, leaving me alone on a horse named Epona with a man named Link.

"So what do you _really_ remember?" Link asks tonelessly. He hasn't nudged the horse into a walk yet; we're just waiting, in the middle of a forest, a spring off to our right.

"Excuse me?" I ask. _I can only recommend that you not reveal yourself, in more ways than one._

"We're not dangerous people," he insists. "You don't need to lie for us to help you."

Maybe he's right. Or maybe he would be right if the situation were a little bit more mundane. And by a bit more mundane, I mean _anything_ less outlandish than what's happening right now. And that monkey said not to reveal myself. I guess I should go with the giant glowing monkey.

"I'm not lying," I insist. Except I am totally a lying liar who's lying. "I don't remember anything from before I fell." And then an idea pops into my head. "But do you recognize me at all? You seemed to. Maybe you know where I'm from." Ha, that'll shut him up. Although now I feel bad.

"Something's going on," he replies, after a few moments. "I don't know what, exactly. But no, we've never met."

He's right; we've never met. But he doesn't sound like he really believes it, and I don't feel in my heart like I believe it either. I feel as if he was meant to find me, at that spring. And that my accidental slip might not have been an accident; just how coincidental is it that I would need to feign amnesia right after I've received a head injury?

This different Epona still stands, waiting for instructions from a rider. I consider, briefly, giving her the signal to walk, but change my mind just as quickly. The horse might not take orders from a stranger, and the man might notice the gesture, no matter how subtle. I don't want to give away my riding skills, so I might as well keep it a secret for now. But the real question isn't whether or not I should try to get us moving. The real question is why we haven't moved in the first place.

I suddenly and desperately wish I could see the man's face, at least to clue me in as to what's going through his head right now. Either way, the second man is long gone, and we're all alone; there's nothing left to do but follow. What is keeping him from following?

"You must remember something," he says insistently. I finally turn around, as carefully as I can on a horse, to face him. Now I can see why we haven't moved. He's frightened. Wary. Angry. I can't blame him, but I don't know enough about what's going on to offer him a real explanation anyway.

"I don't," I reply, focusing on sounding and appearing as scared and apologetic as a true amnesiac might. "I promise," I add. My voice warbles a bit as I say that, and the man's resolve weakens. I see his shoulders relax.

"Okay," he says, and Epona begins to move forward. He must be a more-than-decent rider himself; I almost missed the cue he gave her.

But my voice didn't warble simply because I was trying to act the part of the lost woman with the lost memory. I've never made a promise that I couldn't keep; that was the first time I'd promised something untrue. But I had no other option. I'd love to know as much as he does what's going on, but until then, I need to protect myself. I just had hoped I could wait a little longer before sacrificing my principles.


	5. Strength

Chapter 5: Strength

It's been two months since my mysterious appearance in this strange place, into the lives of the villagers. I've been back to the spring many times, but whatever the hell my supposed purpose here is, that monkey won't reappear and enlighten me. This is why I don't like to put stock in theology or prophecy, or anything having to do with the gods speaking to mortals: it's not really all that helpful, is it? Wouldn't it be much easier if Faron had just told me, "Hey, this is why we brought you here," instead of leaving me to make guesses? I'm beginning to wonder if I made some sort of mistake, and now the powers that be have decided to just abandon me.

If they _have_ decided to abandon me, I suppose that's all right. I just wish they would _say_ something about it so I knew. I think I could maybe make a life here. Well, maybe not exactly _here_ so much as in this world. I think I'm in a parallel universe or something.

It's a damn good thing I feigned amnesia, actually; otherwise, the folks here would certainly think I was crazy. In this universe, Link is not a Kokiri child; he's an adult Hylian. Princess Zelda is alive and well, soon to be crowned Queen of Hyrule. Ganondorf's name hasn't come up at all; I'm unwilling to ask about him, since that would ruin my cover. But if he exists, he's not important enough to warrant much attention at the moment.

I've managed to pick up information about places as well. The village I'm in, Ordon Village, is part of the province of Ordona, which is _not_ a part of Hyrule. Hyrule itself is divided into three provinces: Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru. I was found in Faron province when Link and Rusl were walking back from training up near the Forest Temple. There is still a Kakariko Village in this universe; Bo, the mayor, has thought about sending me there to see if a shaman could help me regain my memory.

That plan was nixed about a month ago, though, when a letter from the shaman arrived. Since no one in Kakariko has ever heard of me, the shaman thinks it would be best for me to seek help in Castle Town, which, as it is in my world, is the capital of Hyrule. Apparently, there is a relatively well-known doctor there who might be able to help me, and there's a greater chance that someone in the city knows me.

Or at least that _would_ be the case if this weren't a parallel universe, or if I actually _had_ amnesia. But there's no way to politely decline the villagers' help without acknowledging that I've been lying to them for no discernable reason. Even now, I'm not sure I really like the new plan, but I would rather go to the city than to another village, given the option. In the city, I can disappear and start a new life.

I'm disappointed, though. As much as Ordon Village is a bit too isolated for my tastes, I'm surprised at how much I enjoy living here.

Rusl and his wife Uli have sort of adopted me. It's not exactly like an adoption; I'm too old to legitimately be like a child to them. They do have their own son, Colin, who's a bit of a wimp. I find it a little laughable that the only swordsman in the village has a son who abhors violence.

Well, no, that's not fair. It's not that I love violence, or find Colin damaged for not reveling in it. It's that he doesn't even stand up for himself to the other village children, and I find that unbelievable. These other children are _not_ Ganondorf. They are not lizard soldiers. They are _children_. What's the worst they could do to him if he defended himself, even verbally?

I suppose that as a young child in a peaceful village, it should be forgivable if he assumes the best of everyone. As it is, I'm relying on that assumption from the villagers; they could have presumed I was dangerous and tossed me out on my ass. But some days, it's difficult for me to refrain from explaining to Colin that sometimes, there are bad people out there who are going to hurt you and your family. And sometimes, the only way to protect yourself and the people you love is with a sword.

I do find the other village children somewhat insufferable. Colin's main tormenter is a boy named Talo, who is quite entitled and pushy. Talo's brother, Malo, is a sullen little brat, who feels the need to criticize everyone. And I'm _not_ just saying that because he's criticized me. Although I'm just waiting for the moment that his parents catch him snarking, the little punk. I'm a bit offended, too, that his name is the masculine version of mine. It's insulting, quite frankly.

The two brothers usually tag along with Beth, another kid in the village. She's not openly malicious, like they are, but she's quite spoiled. Her mother, Sera, owns one of the few local business scattered throughout Ordona, giving her a small amount of influence within the village. I've been staying with their family, and so I've gotten to experience first-hand the temper tantrum Beth threw when her father, Hanch, insisted that she could not have the slingshot that was for sale in her mother's shop. Link eventually bought the damn thing to keep the kids from fighting and drooling over it.

The villagers had some trouble deciding just where I would stay before Sera volunteered her home. The only homes in the village with enough space for a long-term guest just happened to be the homes of unwed men, and apparently that would be scandalous or something. Bo was open to housing me, perhaps out of some sense of mayoral duty, but his daughter Ilia was not. Rusl and Uli were insistent that I stay with them; I think Rusl felt protective towards me since he and Link found me on that first day. But I declined, much to the villagers' surprise. I didn't think it should have been all that surprising; they already have one young kid, and Uli is pregnant. They don't need the stress of a houseguest. I was beginning to think I would end up sleeping under the stars before Sera spoke up, declaring me utterly harmless and a welcome guest in her home.

I think it ended up working out. Thanks to her business, Sera has one of the largest homes in the village anyway, so I don't usually get in the way. And as much as I am ambivalent towards Beth, the girl seems to idolize me. I wish I had a clue as to _why_.

Then again, there's only one person in this village who doesn't genuinely _doesn't_ like me. Generally, everyone is friendly to me, even if they don't seem thrilled to have me around, the way that Rusl does. But I must have wronged Ilia in some way. She doesn't speak to me unless it's necessary, often walking right past me as she walks through the village, even as she greets other folks. She was the only villager who was disappointed by the Kakariko shaman's advice that I travel to the city instead of the other village; that decision has delayed my departure by another month.

I'm not just interpreting Ilia's moods incorrectly, or seeing things that aren't there. I've had the pleasure of overhearing some of her conversations with Link. The first one I accidentally stumbled in on involved Epona; Ilia is Epona's owner, even though Link is generally the mare's only rider, and Ilia didn't like that the strange, frail woman had been on the horse in the first place. And so I knew not to ever ask to ride Epona, and I knew why Link never offered. I suppose it's for the best, though; I need to resist any impulse to demonstrate my skills.

Epona's the only horse in the village, so it's been easy to hide my gift for working with equines. It's a bit trickier with the goats and cuccos. I want to be useful in order to repay the kindness everyone's shown me (or, well, mostly everyone), but if I try as hard as I'm pretending to, I'd give away my actual occupation as a rancher. I'm not sure why this thought scares me so much. After all, I'm sure I could pass it off as something subconscious, like, "Wow, it's weird, but this feels so normal to me! I must be a rancher or something!" Tah-dah. But I have a strange feeling that I need to keep up appearances as a blank slate, with nothing but my name.

So thanks to what I consider my parallel universe instincts, I'm suppressing my ranching talent, all while ostensibly learning how to be a ranch hand. Rusl convinced Bo that it would do me some good to learn how to handle the livestock, and after considering the alternatives, Bo agreed that it was probably the best course of action. Plenty of the villagers work on their gardens, and Ilia has Epona taken care of. Meanwhile, Fado, the ranch owner, is quite incompetent; I suspect that my placement on the ranch is an attempt to right that ship.

I had hoped, though, that Bo would have chosen to have Rusl train me instead. Rusl is the only fighter in the villager, and he's been training Link in sword fighting for several years. And it appears that Link remains the only young person in the village to receive such training: Ilia favors Epona, Colin is a pacifist, Beth prefers dolls, Malo scoffs at it, and Pergie and Jaggle have decided against letting Talo, who's already somewhat violent, near any actual weapons.

I really have no way of explaining to Rusl why I want to learn how to fight. That would require me to come clean first, to explain that I actually already know how to work on a ranch—you know, professionally—and that I need to learn how to fight so I can go home and protect my family. And since I can't explain, that means no swords for me. Desses damn it all.

Also, based on Rusl's smiles as he explained I'd be working on the ranch, I'm expected to bond with Link. Maybe that would be easy if I truly had amnesia, if he was just this guy who was teaching me how to work with goats and cuccos. A lot would be different. I could relax around him, and I wouldn't see my dead friend's face every time I looked at him. I could laugh at his shabby attempts at jokes, maybe even make some of my own. I might seek out his company more often.

But instead, I'm always anxious around him, which has made the past two months incredibly stressful. Not stressful enough to _desperately_ want to leave, although I'm not sure how much longer I'd be able to take the apprehension if it stays at this level. But I'm sure it would lessen over time; in a lot of ways, it already has. I'm growing used to it, just as I'm growing used to the lack of indoor plumbing, the strange garb, and the fact that there isn't a single clock in this damn village. I can't help but feel uneasy around him. I know it means something that he's so similar to Link—_my_ Link—and I'm pissed that I don't know why.

Because I've been working so hard to minimize my interactions with Link, it's difficult to tell exactly what he thinks of me. It's sort of unspoken between us that he doesn't believe my amnesia story, but he seems more confused about it than angry. He hasn't made any noticeable effort to spy on or corner me; I don't feel like he's ever trying to trap me in a lie. But it's clear that he knows he doesn't have the whole story, and that he wants to understand _why_ I might hide the truth. It's almost as if he's trying to befriend me and win my trust. Except at the same time, he's not.

That said, the look on his face the first day we met was rather telling. He _did_ recognize me, I'm sure of it. It plays into my parallel universe hypothesis, so maybe I'm biased in my interpretation. But he looked so shocked and perplexed when he looked into my face that I know it meant something. No other villager looked at me like that. And no other villager resembles anyone I've known. Not even Epona seems to recognize me, although she's a horse, so I'm hardly surprised.

To many of the villagers, I'm just a poor girl who needs help. To Ilia, I'm some kind of untrustworthy demon presence. To Rusl, I'm some kind of cross between a younger sister and an older daughter. And to Link, I'm some kind of enigma.

Meanwhile, this village, for all its flaws, is some kind of heaven. I often wonder if maybe I'm dying and this is a sort of ridiculously elaborate death-related hallucination. It's as if I went to a doctor with all of my pain and sorrow and weakness, and she prescribed me this village as my cure. After all, the sun shines, the water is clear and plentiful, the air is clean, and food is abundant. And for all of their conflicting personalities, everyone does seem to get along.

And I'm fucking flourishing.

I'll never know what my body would have been like had Ganondorf failed to take over. I assume I would have been slightly taller, and based on my parentage, I'm sure I would have been relatively full-figured. Just add that body to the list of things Ganondorf stole from me.

My body now, though, does make me somewhat proud. My muscles have grown incredibly strong, and they fill out my wiry frame. I'm not extremely short, but I'm aware that I'm rather compact; Uli convinced Ilia to let me look in the latter's mirror a week or so ago, and I was shocked to see a small, strong, brownish woman looking back at me. I'm certainly a woman now, for better (I grew some small breasts and hips) and for worse (I just finished my first ever monthly cycle—why would anyone ever want one in the first place?).

If only Rusl would teach me how to fight. Then I could go home and kick some Ganondorf ass.

But instead, I'm using my new strength to learn how to stop runaway goats. It seems a bit silly that I would learn something like this on my last day in the village. Tomorrow, Rusl and I leave for Hyrule Castle Town, where the Hyrule Festival is being held. He will present some gifts to the Princess, and present her with the petition from Ordona province to officially become part of Hyrule. And I'll see that doctor. I'm not sure what Rusl plans to do if the doctor cannot help me. I'm not sure he's planned that far ahead, but then again, he doesn't know that the doctor will be incapable of "fixing" me. Maybe he'll bring me back to the village afterwards. If not, I'll find work in the city somewhere, maybe make up a new story. I no longer have to explain a wasted appearance or strange clothes. I can just be a woman from a village in Ordona looking to start a new life.

First, though, a goat.

Fado's incompetence often manifests itself as a goat charging out of the ranch and into the village. Obviously, this isn't a good thing, since people don't appreciate being trampled. Link has learned how to stop these goats in their tracks when necessary, and today, that knowledge passes to me. Or, I already have the knowledge. I'm just finally going to find out if I have the strength to do it.

"I'm ready," I call weakly to Link. I feel foolish standing in the middle of the village's central path. We've asked everyone to clear off for a bit while we intentionally release a goat; I hope that their patience won't be tried in vain. I'm going to feel like a dumbass if this doesn't work.

I wait for Link's reply, but there isn't one. Did he not hear me? This is embarrassing. But then I hear the pounding of hooves, and soon enough, there's a goat charging me. Awesome.

My feet move automatically from the week of practice I've had. My right foot goes forward. My hands move up, the correct width between them. And as the goat gets closer and closer, I grit my teeth and brace for impact.

Ugh! That's a lot of impact! The goat practically lifts me off the ground as it slams into me. My feet are sliding backwards; I am too damn tiny to do this!

Well, fuck that. One stupid goat isn't going to make me feel inadequate. I'm still sliding backwards, but the fight's not over yet. I've got an excellent grip on this beast's horns (or horn, singular—he's got one big round one). Link made me practice keeping my grip on the slightly rough surface, and it's paying off. With a grunt, I quickly flip the goat to its side. It grunts back, but it appears to have calmed down. It climbs back to its feet and shakes the dust out of its coat. And now, it's just peacefully staring at me, blinking every few seconds. I blink back.

I suppose that was slightly cool. But then again, the reason I agreed to learn how to do this was because it's the closest I could get to learning how to fight. Now I know that I can hold my own against someone more than three times my weight. Ganondorf can't be more than three times my weight, right? Although if I stay in this parallel Hyrule, I might never have a chance to take him on. Maybe that's a good thing. After all, he's out of my life now. Maybe that's better than revenge.

No, I want revenge.

"Not bad," Link calls out to me as he strolls down to have a look at my handiwork. He sounds surprised.

"Not bad?" I ask. "I did it exactly how I was supposed to."

"You did," he agrees quickly. "I just didn't factor in the weight difference."

"All the more reason you should sound more impressed," I say dryly. I wish I hadn't said that, though. He shoots me a curious look; maybe I should have sucked at goat-stopping a little more. I should have stuck with my "I only have moderate skills" story. To be fair, though, there really is nothing in between success and failure when it comes to stopping goats from charging into the village. Either you stop the goat, or you don't, and I refuse to fail just to put up appearances.

He doesn't reply, though, as we lead the goat back to the ranch proper. I'm happy to maintain the silence. Fado comes into view as we open up the gate, rescuing us from each other's presence. "Good job there, Malon," he tells me, patting me on the back. "You've come a long way, yeah?"

"Apparently," I say, smiling sincerely. Fado's truly proud of my progress, which I find both sweet and sad. It's touching that he can be so thrilled for me when I've already surpassed his ranching skills, while still keeping my real abilities in check. I wonder if he'd still be so proud if I didn't hold back.

"So, you two ready for lunch?" Fado asks.

"Actually, I'm having lunch with Rusl," I say gently. His face falls, and I empathize. It's my last day in the village, and my last day on the ranch, and it would be nice if we could spend that last lunch together. "Don't worry," I add. "We're still having a village supper tonight."

"Yeah, but it's not the same," he replies glumly. "Well then, Link, I left the basket in the stable. I guess we'll see little miss Malon in an hour or so." I chuckle at his nickname for me.

"Uh, actually, I'm having lunch with Rusl, too," Link says quickly. We both turn to him, and his face flushes. "Sorry I didn't say so sooner, Fado." Well, this is all kinds of awkward, isn't it?

The awkwardness prevails as Link and I silently make our way to Rusl's house, which is thankfully nearby. Why on earth is Link coming, too? Did Rusl invite him in a last ditch attempt to force us to be friends? Did he not notice the unusual stares we gave each other when we first met? Or the uncomfortable silences between us for the past two months? Desses, I'm grateful that there's only one more day of this mess. At least for now; I have to remember that when the doctor cannot help me, I might be coming back to this village.

"Ah, great, you're both right on time," Rusl says softly as he greets us at his door. "I'm sorry to ask you to keep your voices down, but Uli's taking a rest."

"Thanks for the lunch invitation," I reply. "I guess I can repay the favor by being quiet." After all, it's going to be up to Rusl to make most of the conversation.

We sit around the small table, already laid out for lunch. I select a seat next to Link; while I'll be closer to him, in terms of proximity, I won't have to make eye contact. Well, it's more accurate to say I won't have to avoid making eye contact. It can be exhausting to try to ignore someone like this.

"I thought it would be a good idea to make sure you're all set for tomorrow," Rusl begins before taking a bite of bread.

"You mean, make sure you and I are all set," I correct before sipping some water. I immediately regret this decision; Rusl exchanges a significant look with Link and I nearly choke down my sip. Desses!

"Link's coming with us?" I ask stupidly; my stomach is lurching a bit from almost coughing on my water.

Rusl sighs and turns to Link. "You didn't tell her?" he asks, his annoyance clear.

"It didn't come up," Link replies weakly.

Rusl turns back to me. "I'm actually not joining you. It'll just be the two of you," he informs me. Well, fuck. My disappointment must be apparent. "Link's going to be the town's next mayor," Rusl explains, as if I need an explanation. "Bo and I decided it that it would be an incredible learning experience for Link to be our representative at the festival, and to establish a political relationship with our soon-to-be Queen. I also would like to stay with Uli, since the pregnancy is wearing her out. And besides," he chuckles, "you'll have more fun without me anyway."

"Don't sell yourself short," I say softly before reaching for an apple. I meant to sound kind and reassuring, but my tone comes out slightly sarcastic and bitter. Good job, Malon. "But no, I understand," I quickly add before I begin to quietly munch on the piece of fruit.

Rusl smiles, as if he had been worried I would somehow say no. How could I say no? He and Uli have been so kind to me; I'm not going to whine to reverse this decision. Whatever happens will be temporary: either I'll come back to the village and start avoiding Link again, or I'll lose myself in the city.

And so the conversation turns to the mundane specifics of the trip. I've been through this with Rusl already, and so it's mostly just him briefing Link. I wonder when this switcheroo was decided. Probably at the last minute; otherwise I would have known about it sooner, and Link wouldn't need such a comprehensive lecture from Rusl the day before the departure.

Lunch is mercifully short, at least; Rusl has some business to attend to with Bo. "It's probably best for you two to bring the gifts we've made to Link's place. And the tent and supplies as well. Better to have it all in one place." The traveling supplies are still at Rusl's? Then this was definitely a decision made last night, or maybe even this morning.

"I'll go get Epona," Link volunteers. "That way, we won't need to make multiple trips. Besides, Ilia will want to wash her up at the spring anyway." The spring he's referring to is not the one I was discovered in, but it's eerily similar, and it's located in the forest just steps from Link's house.

"Great idea," Rusl replies approvingly, but after Link closes the door behind him, he turns to me with a frown. "You don't seem all that enthusiastic about having Link as a traveling companion."

"It's complicated," I understate.

"I notice that you don't seem to get along well with Link, or with Ilia," he continues, stroking his mustache in thought. "Bo and I had hoped for the opposite."

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning anyway," I remind him. "I'm grateful beyond words for all that you and the other villagers have done for me, but whether or not I get along with a couple of people won't matter by the end of the week."

He nods. "I'm disappointed we couldn't help you regain more of your memory." I feel my heart sink; as far as the villagers know, I haven't regained _any_ of my memory. He probably feels guilty, and therefore I do, too. "But I am relieved to see how much better you are, compared to when we found you."

"Yeah," I chuckle. "It's refreshing to see my reflection in the spring and find a person staring back instead of a skeleton."

"You did look rather awful," he admits, smiling sadly. "But changing the subject won't be as effective with me as it is with Bo or Sera." He lowers his voice further. "I will admit that I noticed you and Link both seemed startled by each other when we first discovered you. I suspect that's part of why you two aren't getting along. Can you cast any light on this issue for me?"

"I honestly have no idea what you mean," I answer dishonestly. But answering honestly would be too … revealing. And that monkey told me not to reveal myself, after all. "I just remember how disoriented I was in general."

"It's just that Link is sure he's never met you before," Rusl continues, ignoring the fact that I've just insisted that I don't know what he's talking about. "But you seemed to almost recognize each other." He pauses, although it looks like he's thinking rather than waiting for me to add my own thoughts. I remain quiet. "He was already five years old when we found him in the village. Perhaps you knew him when you were children. You are both Hylian, after all, although I admit that's likely a coincidence."

"Rusl," I reply, lowering my voice in annoyance. But then the door opens, and Link is back with Epona, ready to move the traveling supplies to the other end of the village, where his own house sits alone, slightly outside the gate.

"Think about what I said," Rusl says urgently, once we've loaded up our horse. I can only sigh in reply before Link begins to lead Epona forward.

"So what was that about?" he asks, once we're out of earshot.

"Nothing," I reply. "Why didn't you mention this change of plans this morning?" I'm not terribly peeved; I'd just rather not be the subject of the conversation.

"We were busy," he replies; I can practically hear the shoulder shrug through the tone of his voice, even though he's on the other side of Epona, and out of my eyesight.

"Yeah, it's definitely hard to have a conversation while milking goats," I say sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot," he says quickly. I'm guessing he's lying. But who am I to judge?

Link's house sits outside of the village proper, opposite the gate. No one has explained to me why his house isn't within the village itself. It's just a bit strange that the future mayor would live on the outskirts of the town he's supposed to eventually lead.

It's situated in a quiet clearing, which is rather peaceful, I suppose, and that is a bit fitting for what is essentially a tree house. Unfortunately, the village children are almost constantly playing out here, which ruins the solitude and quiet. Link has a dummy set up that he practices some of his sword skills on, and Talo enjoys beating it up on a regular basis. Link also set up some targets around the clearing after he bought the slingshot from Sera. He lets the kids borrow it to practice shooting, so long as they share; I wonder if he's aware that Malo, Talo, and Beth do _not_ share with Colin.

So it's not surprising that the kids are hanging around Link's house as we walk Epona up to the ladder which serves as the front steps. But it is surprising that all of them have scared expressions on their faces. And that Talo isn't among the group.

"What happened?" Link asks sternly.

In a weird instance of solidarity, I agree with his assessment. "Who broke a rule?" I ask, assuming the culprit is the absent Talo. But then I reassess the frightened expressions. This isn't the usual fear of getting into trouble. Uh-oh. "What happened?" I ask more urgently. "No one's in trouble, just tell us what happened."

"Malon," Link says, annoyed. I'm not surprised that he's annoyed; I'm sort of an honorary adult in the village. That means the kids have to listen to me, but the assumption is that I'll be backing up the other adults, not forming my own opinions. And certainly not absolving any of the kids of responsibility for rule-breaking. But I _am_ surprised that Link can't sense that there's something _really_ wrong here.

"Talo chased a monkey into the woods," Beth says quickly before looking down at the dirt. "He wanted to fight it with his toy sword."

"We followed him at first, but he went past the bridge," Colin adds. "I was too scared to follow him."

"Not like anyone could have stopped him," Malo mutters. But he does sound genuinely concerned.

"Shit," I curse, which earns me three stares and one glare. "Ugh, sorry!" I add quickly. Okay, so the one thing _none_ of the villagers seem to like about me is my tendency to swear. But I've gotten much better. Besides, this is sort of a swear-appropriate situation, yes?

Link waves me to the side. "What should we do?" he asks, his voice low so the kids can't hear.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"I mean, what should we do?" I can tell that he's panicking. The kids are forbidden to cross the bridge to the Faron Woods without an adult with them, and as far as I can tell, none of them has ever been stupid enough to break that rule until just now. Why now? I guess this isn't the time to wonder why. Link is practically frozen, and Talo hasn't magically reappeared.

"Okay," I say firmly. "Go get your practice sword." You never know what's in the woods.

"What?" he asks stupidly.

"Your practice sword," I hiss. The kids are trying to eavesdrop. "Get your damn sword—this is _absolutely_ a time for swearing, so don't look at me like that!"

"Okay, fine," he hisses back before quickly and adeptly climbing up the ladder to his house.

"Good," I say, even though he can't hear me. What use is he as a fighter if he can't think quickly in these situations? I turn to the three remaining children. "Okay, you lot. I need to you to go tell Bo what happened, and Malo, go tell your parents. Link and I are going to go find Talo, but Bo will need to know where we went."

"We'll get in huge trouble," Malo grumbles.

I gently but swiftly pull down the saddlebags with the gifts and supplies for tomorrow's trip and hoist it somewhat carefully on what constitutes Link's front porch. "I don't really care," I snap at him. "Your brother could be in danger right now, so I think you'll just have to risk getting grounded." All three kids stare at me. Desses, why do I feel so uncomfortable? "I _will_ count to three," I say, and like that, they scatter. Rolling my eyes and trying to take deep breaths, I throw the rest of the travel equipment up with the saddlebags.

"Where are the rest of them?" Link asks, suddenly appearing.

"The village, telling Bo," I reply. "Are you coming down?"

"Why did you throw everything up here?"

"Get your ass down here, you idiot," I say shortly. "Desses, you're taking forever."

"I don't understand," he continues as he hops down, forgoing the ladder completely.

I roll my eyes. "We need to go get Talo," I explain, as if he's a child, too. "There might be dangers in the forest, so we need a weapon. Hence the sword," I say, pointing at it.

"But how will we catch up with him? He could be anywhere."

"Oh, come _on_," I groan. If I wait for him to get the idea himself, we'll be here forever. _I can only recommend that you not reveal yourself, in more ways than one._ I guess I'm going to have to reveal myself in one of those ways. An idiot kid's life is at stake, maybe.

Fortunately, Epona already has her gear on, so I quickly pull myself into the saddle. Before Link can gawk, I grab his arm and pull him up behind me. A child is in danger. This isn't the time for me to pretend. "Hold on," I warn him.

"What?" he gasps.

I ignore him and lean forward slightly. Epona, I hope you're similar enough to my Epona that this won't be difficult. But when I shift my weight, she responds—just like _my_ Epona would—and off we go.


	6. Veil

Chapter 6: Veil

What should be a bittersweet morning, with the villagers wishing us luck and seeing us off, is mostly just a bitter one. Talo is sullen, Pergie and Jaggle are fuming, Bo is concerned, the other kids are fearful, Fado is puzzled, Ilia is livid, Rusl is pensive, and Link is stunned. Everyone else is just confused and quiet.

Link and I went into the Faron Woods yesterday, and we rescued Talo and a monkey, who had been taken hostage by some bokoblins at the Forest Temple.

And you know, you'd _think_ people would be grateful that I helped. But everyone just seems to be in a state of shock. It's as if everyone's gotten stuck on their first emotion, unable to process it and move on to a more complex amalgamation of feelings. And so Link and I stay very, very silent as we spend the morning assisting Fado one last time before we leave for Hyrule.

As the sun climbs steadily into the sky, though, we know we have to head out. I hug Fado, who still seems dazed at the revelation that I can ride a horse. "Thank you," I tell him sincerely. I didn't realize I might cry; I quickly dry my eyes on my wrist wrap. It's times like this one that make me wish the clothes the villagers gave me had sleeves; sleeves are perfect for wiping tears.

We lead Epona back through the village to Link's house, where we left the saddlebags yesterday. And by that, I mean Link is leading her. With yesterday's events behind us, we're back to the old unspoken rule: I don't interact with Epona.

Bo meets us near the entrance to the ranch. "You two are all set then?" he asks awkwardly.

"Yeah, just gotta grab the saddlebags," Link tells him. I just nod.

"Good," he says gruffly.

"Thank you, Bo," I say quietly. He turns to me, and I'm relieved to see that he's not angry. I know I'm not a very large person in the first place, but I feel even smaller right now. These people have been kind to me, and while I'm not exactly earning their wrath, I appreciate their kindness more now that it's being somewhat withdrawn.

"I hope you can get your memory back," he replies, and he sounds sincere. I nod again.

Ilia steps out of the house she shares with her father. She doesn't mask her glare when she looks at me, but I feel less alone when I see that the glare is also directed at Link. She shouldn't be angry with him; I could have just told him that he should ride Epona into the forest to find Talo. Instead, I made the split-second decision to ride her myself, and I knew I was breaking the understood rule. I don't bother to say anything, or acknowledge her with anything besides a return glance.

"So, you're leaving," she says to Link coolly.

"I'll be back in a couple weeks," he replies evenly. It's clear he's trying to avoid angering her further.

But she's not looking at either one of us anymore. Instead, she's fixated on a point below our eye lines. I glance down to see what has her so distracted.

Oh hell. I should have noticed that Epona had some shallow scrapes on one of her forelegs. How could I have been so stupid? Well, as soon as we got back with Talo, Ilia snatched Epona away from us. It's a _little_ hard for me to take care of a horse I'm not allowed to be near. Okay, _fine_, that's not fair. I should have prioritized Epona's well-being over Ilia's feelings, especially after riding the mare so hard while we hunted down Talo.

"How can you _possibly_ leave with Epona if you can't even take care of her!" Ilia snaps at Link, who flinches significantly.

"Ilia," her father warns.

"And how can you excuse him?" she demands. "He'll just injure her further on this stupid trip!" She pries the reins from Link's fingers. "I'll be taking care of my horse, if you'll excuse me."

"Ilia, wait!" Link says, but he stays rooted to his spot as his friend takes away our method of transportation.

"Great, now you'll never make it on time to the festival," Bo growls. Unspoken is his frustration regarding our heroics from yesterday. But I'm not sure what we should have done instead of going after Talo ourselves. And besides those shallow scrapes on Epona's leg, there were no injuries. Isn't that best-case scenario? Or at the very least, can't this be Talo's fault?

"I'll go talk to her," Link replies, and he trots down the path towards the spring, where Ilia is most likely washing Epona's wounds.

"I'll go apologize," I tell Bo, but he stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I appreciate that you would do that," he says gently, "but it's better if you don't." I open my mouth to protest, but he shakes his head to silence me. "Your quick thinking probably saved Talo's life," he tells me. "Epona might need a bandage or two, but she's obviously fine if Link could go the whole morning without noticing anything. And he _would_ notice if there were something really wrong," he adds.

"I am very disappointed in my daughter's behavior," he continues, "and if I understood why she's behaved like this towards you, I'd explain it. Or lecture her. As it stands, though, apologizing to her is pointless. She'll still hold you responsible, and you still won't actually have anything to apologize for."

My heart sinks. He's right, but I still want to apologize. At the very least, if Ilia believes I'm responsible, then maybe an apology _will_ help.

"I understand," I tell Bo, and he nods at me before returning to his house. It's true that I do understand, but I'll still apologize. As I step towards the direction of the spring, though, Rusl steps out of his house and waves me over.

"Well, I hope you know how sad I am to see you go," he tells me, hugging me tightly after I step over towards him.

"Thank you for everything." My voice is muffled in his shirt.

"I'm glad to help," he says. "And it looks like we've learned something about you," he adds brightly.

Hm? "What do you mean?" I ask.

He smiles. "Whoever you are, Malon, you're a talented rider. Better than Link, apparently."

My brow furrows. "You weren't there," I point out. "I'm sure I wasn't better than Link." Actually, I'm sure I _was_ better, but how would Rusl know?

"Not according to Link," Rusl says firmly. Oh, yeah. Link was there. "He said you were the best he's ever seen. That's not saying too much, since he hasn't seen a lot of great riders," he admits. "But we have a clue as to your identity. Hopefully, someone in the city can help you."

"I hope so," I lie. I hug him one last time, my surrogate father-slash-brother. "But who knows? Maybe I'll be back." I wink at him before stepping back towards the path. He chuckles as he heads back to his home.

Now, it's time for me to apologize to Ilia for not actually doing anything wrong. Okay, maybe that's not the best mindset to be in for this apology to be effective. If my internal monologue isn't sincere, it's tough for my actual tone to sound genuine. I hop over some rocks as I enter the clearing with Link's house, mentally rehearsing my apology. _I __should __have __been __more __careful. __I__'__ll __make __sure __Link__'__s __the __lead __rider __from __now __on. __I __hope __you __can __forgive __me. __I __should __have __double-checked __her __for __injuries. __I__—_

I hear shouts coming from the spring. And not the shouts of two people having a row. Shouts of fear. Before the blood in my veins can freeze, I run towards the cries. A horn sounds.

A giant boar—impossibly large—is rushing towards me. Its rider is not human. Oh shit, what do I do? Desses, what do I do? I feel my feet skid to a halt; at first I curse my legs for stopping, but then I realize that there are more of these boars and riders. I don't stand a chance. Should I turn back? Warn the village? But the monster closest to me is closing in, lifting a massive club above his head—

* * *

My head throbs.

"She's awake," says a distant voice.

The pain is constant, but mercifully dull. It's not unfamiliar. I'm reminded of my seventh escape attempt, when a lizard soldier clubbed me in the head. At least, that's what I think must have happened; I woke up on the ranch an hour later.

I remember another club. That's the last thing I remember. Screams and shouts, and monsters rushing towards me on giant boars. My eyes snap open.

The worried faces of Rusl and Bo loom over me. It's dark; we must be inside. I remind my brain to locate my hands and arms, and use them to push myself up. "What happened?" I ask. "I heard screams in the spring, and then there were—"

"Bulbins," Rusl finishes.

"On giant boars," I add.

"Bulbos," Bo says.

"What happened?" I ask again. My head throbs. Damn, it's the same spot on my skull where I fell on that rock.

Neither man responds. They exchange glances before looking back at me. "What else do you remember?" Bo asks insistently.

"Nothing," I say. It's weird having this conversation again, this time while I'm being truthful. "I was heading towards the spring when I heard shouts. I ran towards the sounds, and then those bulb-whatevers came rushing at me. One of them had a club." They keep staring at me when I finish, as if I'll have more to tell. "But what happened? Is everyone okay?"

Bo turns away and stalks off to some far end of the room, out of my line of sight. Rusl shakes his head sadly. My heart seems to have descended into my stomach.

"Bulbins invaded the village," he tells me softly. "They took the children, including Ilia and Link. Epona is gone, too."

My head shakes of its own volition. There's a roaring in my ears. "No," I say firmly. "That's not possible."

He shakes his head, too, but I can tell this is a sad headshake that's really a nod. "They're gone," he whispers. His voice cracks slightly. "We tried to fight the bulbins, but it was no use."

"Desses, you're hurt," I realize. I finally notice the bandage wrapped around his head, and the sling his arm is in.

"Hanch and Bo, too," he confirms. "We're going to try to organize a search party tomorrow. We need to recover a bit, and we're losing light too quickly today."

I pause. "You're lying," I say quietly, so Bo cannot hear me.

"A rude accusation," Rusl cautions.

"You're going to go after them tonight," I reproach.

"They took my son," he hisses angrily.

"And we'll get him back," I hiss back. I gently swing my legs off of the bed I've been placed on. I feel a swell of guilt as I realize it's Ilia's bed. My head throbs, but my vision is sharp, and I push myself up.

"You're in no condition to fight either," he reminds me.

"I am always in condition to fight," I retort, perhaps unfairly. He has no idea of the pain I've had to work through on the ranch, but it's because I never told him. "Give me your sword and shield."

"No, I will be needing them," he replies. But he senses my tone: I am not to be fucked with. "I've got spares," he concedes. If Bo has overheard anything, he doesn't say so as Rusl and I head out of the house.

The sun is setting as we head across the path. I must have been unconscious for a long time, which is not a good sign. Maybe I'll have the doctor check my brain when I get to Hyrule Castle Town after all. Or maybe not, I realize, swallowing hard. I suppose all of the village youths being kidnapped will change our plans considerably.

My mind races as I watch Rusl rifle through a chest to find me some weapons. Why did those monsters attack? What would they want with Link, Ilia, and the kids anyway? Where did Epona go?

And why didn't they take me?

Rusl hands me a sheathed sword and a shield, which snaps me back to attention. Maybe I should have remembered, before asking for weapons, that I don't _quite_ know how to use them. Maybe Rusl can tell from my lack of action that I'm confused. Or perhaps he's correctly assuming that since he never taught me any sword-fighting, I do not know how to wear the equipment. He carefully drapes the sheath over my head, with the hilt of the sword above my right shoulder, and he buckles the straps into place. I shift the leather into a slightly more comfortable position as he fits the shield over the scabbard.

I feel oddly comfortable. I test out my shield, pulling it from the sheath easily. I know better than to draw a sword in a tiny house with a friend directly in front of me, but I reach behind me to check how easily I can grab the hilt. It's perfect.

Rusl just nods at me, either deciding I must be a swordswoman in addition to a master rider, or unable to care about anything unusual until his son is safe. I don't think I care if he cares; all I can think about is hunting those monsters down and finding everyone who is missing, Epona included. If I need to explain myself when all is said and done, fine. But first, we need to do something.

"Let's go," I say quietly. I'm guessing Uli is in the back room, resting. I can't even begin to imagine how to deal with the stress of this emergency while pregnant.

Wanting to stay near his wife, Rusl decides to stake out the south end of the village, leaving me with the north end. It's a little selfish, him taking the south end; it's more likely that the monsters fled north, the way they came. But I _was_ knocked out and missed the majority of what happened; in the turmoil, maybe it was unclear which direction the monsters went.

The sun continues to fade over the horizon as I enter the clearing with Link's house in it. Soon, it'll be difficult to search. But Rusl and I packed a lantern in our saddlebags for the trip to Hyrule. And conveniently, those bags are in the house right in front of me. I'd be grateful for the good luck, but how lucky is it that half of the village has been kidnapped, and half of those of us remaining are injured in some way? I quickly scale the ladder, noting the new, strange weight of weaponry on my back, and quickly enter the dark house.

Fortunately (although, again, how fortunate am I, really?), Link didn't move the saddlebags far from the door; I kick them by accident as I start shuffling around. Just as I had packed it, the lantern sits on top, above our provisions. I pull it out and fish around for the magical lighter Bo is letting us borrow. I'm glad I filled the lantern before packing it; as I touch the lighter to the wick, the room glows warmly with lantern light.

But as I turn to head back to the door, I freeze.

There's someone in here.

I bite back a yelp. Not some_one_.

There is a giant wolf in the corner of large main room. It is sitting mere yards away from me. The damn door is in between us.

I forcibly steady my breathing. It's just a wolf. And I'm armed. Attaching the lantern—carefully—to the belt of the scabbard, I pull my shield free and grip the handle tightly. I feel a small thrill as I draw my sword for the first time; there's a sleek scraping sound as it slides from the scabbard.

The wolf lunges …

… towards the saddlebags. It grabs them and barrels out the door.

Oh, _hell_ no.

When I remember that my legs still work, I dart after the beast. What kind of wolf manages to climb into a tree house and then grabs a damn saddlebag? Not a _real_ wolf. This beast is doing someone else's bidding. And my instincts are telling me that I need to follow it.

I leap from the top of the ladder; my head throbs angrily as I land and straighten myself out.

What if it's doing Ganondorf's bidding?

I run as fast as my legs can manage.

But Ganondorf doesn't exist in this universe.

The wolf is still visible through the dark trees; my lantern bobs as I race towards the black dot. My breathing is ragged.

That doesn't mean that someone else evil can't exist. Other people can be capable of evil as well. They could have sent the wolf. They could have sent those monsters. I don't know who "they" are, but I'm going to find out.

I burst into the last clearing of the Ordon Woods, and the bridge to Faron looms large before me. But there's something wrong with the sky ahead. No, don't worry about that for now. Keep following the wolf; it's still visible, and slowing slightly.

My footsteps echo endlessly as I sprint across the bridge, blade still drawn. Whatever the wolf wants with the saddlebags, I know I have to stop it. So why has it stopped moving ahead of me?

Maybe because there's a giant wall of some kind.

What the hell?

The wolf has stopped because there's some sort of dark veil that reaches from the heavens all the way down to the ground. It's exactly at the border, where Faron and Ordona meet. I stop short as I get closer; there are strange hieroglyphs adoring the inky veil, glowing sickly orange.

The wolf hasn't moved forward, but it turns to glance at me, the saddlebags still clenched in its jaws. Why is it staring at me? I hold my shield slightly higher, defensively, still gasping for breath following my sprint. Come on, wolf, why are you staring at me?

It turns away, and I see the strangest trick of the light. Whatever this veil is, it's making me see things; there's a strange faint shadow floating in between the wolf and the wall. Or at least, it was just there a moment ago.

A giant flame-colored hand reaches through the veil, grabs the wolf—who lets out a muffled yelp—and pulls the beast through.

"Desses!" What just happened?

What _just_ happened?

But then it hits me, just like that club did earlier: this must be where the monsters took everyone. I quickly sheath my sword, shoulder my shield, and dash towards the veil.

My shoulder aches with shock of impact, and the lantern rattles. The damn thing is solid. _Solid_. I feel like I just slammed into a stone wall. My head pounds angrily, reminding me that I probably have brain damage from earlier, and my chest tightens uncomfortably.

"Let me the fuck in!" I shout tactfully. I shoulder slam again, just to see if there's any give. But there isn't, and I'm just making my body hurt more. But I _have_ to get in there. My instincts are screaming at me that I need to get in there, that the wolf cannot be allowed to disappear.

"I saw you!" I bellow.

There's no response from the veil. The hieroglyphs dance at me. Fuckers.

"I will not put up with this!" I bang against the solid curtain again, now with my fist. "Let me in this instant, or I will fucking kill you!" Wherever the kids are, wherever Link, Ilia, and Epona are, they're on the other side of this immovable, impenetrable wall. And whatever brought that beast in _can_ bring me in, too.

"Let me in!" I roar again.

A giant flame-colored hand bursts forth, knocking the air out of me as it seizes me. And then just as suddenly, I fall to the ground on the other side of the veil.

Around me, the world looks wrong. The sky looks as if the sun is setting, but the sun already set, while I was chasing the wolf. The colors are dark and washed out. Strange inky ash floats upwards from the ground. The plants and trees look strangely black. The air has a weight to it, and it feels as if I've somehow learned to breath underwater.

I went into the Faron Woods a few times with Rusl, and was most recently here yesterday, searching for Talo. I recognize these woods, at least in terms of geography. But why is everything so wrong?

The injury I sustained earlier seems to be affecting me intensely in this strange environment. My head isn't throbbing, but I'm feeling really _… _woozy. Why am I so dizzy? I'm already on my knees, so I quickly brace myself with my hands. Nope, it's not enough.

I feel so foolish as I start to fall to my side in slow motion. And then, to my infinite shock, I see the wolf, although it no longer has the saddlebags. It's just watching me as I fall over. And then my eyes close as the lightheadedness takes over.

I haven't passed out; I just feel out of it, as if I need to just rest for a bit right here. I don't need a nap, just a break. I don't want to have to chase down this wolf any farther, especially in this strange place, but I find it really obnoxious that it's sitting there watching as I lie on the ground for no reason.

"Well, looks like we've got a sleepyhead," chimes a musically malicious voice.

"I'm not sleepy," I retort, not knowing who I'm snapping at.

"The feeling will pass," Link says.

Link?

My eyes snap open, but I don't see Link. The wolf is still there, though. It's sitting as it watches me, its head tilted to the side. And there's … some kind of tiny monster perched on its back. It's wearing some kind of headpiece, and something fire-orange peeks out over the stone crown. Its body glows with blue markings.

But I don't see Link.

"What are you looking at?" I growl to the wolf. As I struggle to stand up.

"Why did you follow me," the wolf asks in Link's voice.

Before I can question how the fuck the wolf is talking in Link's voice, I manage to pick myself up so I'm on all fours. I feel strangely comfortable, as if I've already completed the process of standing, but I'm no taller than the wolf. Oh, and I have paws.

Oh geez.

"What the fuck just happened?" I ask.

"Well, our new doggie has quite a temper," the imp sitting on wolf-Link taunts. This imp is the source of the musically evil voice.

"Who are you?" I ask her.

"No, wolf-girl," she says sternly. "Who are _you?__"_

"I'm pissed," I answer angrily and unhelpfully.

"Malon," the wolf says seriously. "Maybe you should go back."

"Oh, she can't go back," the imp says curtly.

"What do you mean?" he asks her, tilting his head back to try to look at his rider. "You warped me back to Ordon Village. Do the same for her."

"You're not asking very nicely," she admonishes him. "It's as if you don't _want_ me to help you." This seems to silence him.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to process the preposterousness of the situation. For the second time in a couple short months, reality appears to be fucking with me. If my brain is processing things correctly, something just pulled me into yet _another_ version of Hyrule, and now I'm a wolf.

It's official. If the Goddesses exist, they don't like me very much.

"Done daydreaming, doggie?" the imp taunts.

"Link," I say.

"Yeah," he replies. And it_is_ him, or at least now it's obvious; his wolf ears are still pierced with tiny hoops, like his Hylian ears are. And his eyes are unmistakably his own. Even if it were strange to see a wolf with blue eyes, these aren't just blue eyes. They're _Link__'__s_ blue eyes. The wild streak within is finally exemplified without.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Gods, Malon," he sighs, rolling his eyes.

"If there's a right time to curse, this would probably be it," I point out.

"Fair enough," he concedes. He cranes his neck again to try to look at the imp. "Look," he tells her, "I have to talk to my friend." When she doesn't move, he adds, "Privately."

"So demanding," she sings, and she floats off of his back into midair. As I follow Link to a spot a short distance away, I watch as the imp hums to herself and appears to be cleaning her nails.

"Interesting find," I say sarcastically once we're out of earshot.

He snorts. "Yeah, that's an understatement."

"So will you tell me what happened?" I'm so tired of weird stuff happening and no one explaining it to me.

"Well, first, what happened on your end?"

"Clearly, nothing interesting compared to what's happened on yours," I reply sardonically, but I quickly recount the events as I remember them. Judging from his reaction, my information isn't a huge relief, but it's certainly better than whatever worst-case scenario he was imagining. "But seriously, your side of the story isn't self-explanatory."

"I'm trying to think of the best way to summarize it," he admits. And with that strange imp nearby, sighing impatiently, he does his best.

As Link tried to calm Ilia down, bulbins broke into the spring. They knocked him out, and when he woke up, Ilia and Epona were both gone. He thought he spotted something running down the bridge towards Faron Woods, and when he tried to follow it, he encountered the veil.

Some strange shadow beast pulled him through; nearly immediately, the strange mark on his hand—the Triforce, I know, and I really don't see how he doesn't know that's what it is—began to glow. Just like me, he felt dizzy and fell to the ground as he transformed, but soon after that he blacked out. "I must have still been woozy from being clubbed in the head," he explains. Sure, but then why didn't I black out, too? Strange. Maybe I'm just more resilient, or at least maybe my skull is.

When he awoke, he was in a dungeon of some sort, shackled to the floor. This strange imp—Midna, he calls her—arrived and offered to help him escape, but only if he agreed to be her slave. He took the deal, seeing no other way out of the dungeon, and under Midna's orders, climbed out and made his way outside. It was then that he realized he was in Hyrule Castle; sure enough, Midna was having him climb up to a tower to meet Princess Zelda herself.

And that's when his story takes an even stranger turn. Princess Zelda was not just hanging out in her tower, getting ready for a nice day of ruling. She was a prisoner—still is a prisoner, I suppose—of the King of Twilight, who had demanded that she surrender, or see her people slaughtered. And so, bit by bit, Twilight has taken over Hyrule; Faron province clearly was only just taken sometime while we slept last night.

"So everyone's wandering around, stuck as wolves?" I ask. I glance over to this Midna character. "Or imps?"

"No, people turn into spirits," Link corrects me. "Midna is a Twili—the Twilight race."

"So we're wolves because … why?"

"I think this thing protected me," he suggests, raising his paw with the Triforce mark on it. "I'm not sure why you transformed as well, but clearly you're no spirit. Spirits can't seem to see or hear Midna or me."

"Speaking of Midna, has she told you _why_ she wants your help?"

"She hasn't. But I can tell she knows a lot about what's going on. I think if I help her do whatever it is she's hoping to accomplish, I'll be able to find everyone."

"And she thought coming to the village would be helpful? I would have tried to kill you, you know."

"First of all," he says, and I can detect the smirk even on his new face, "I could have taken you. Second of all, yeah, she told me I'd need a sword and a shield, so I went to get the ones we were going to take to Hyrule."

"Oh." The saddlebags. That explains it. But it raises another question. "So where are the saddlebags now? Or my own weapons?"

He shrugs. "Midna seems to think we still have them. So I'm not concerned. I don't know quite what the rules are here."

I nod. "I'm coming with you."

He stares at me for a moment. "Yeah. I know."

"No argument?"

He shrugs. "You impressed Midna enough that she pulled you into the Twilight with us," he concedes. "If you were determined enough to convince her, I'm not sure I'll be able to dissuade you."

"I can't believe we're fucking wolves," I say, as an afterthought.

"I can't believe you're still swearing," he adds. "It's not helpful."

"You only think that because you never swear," I point out. We quietly pad back to Midna, the imp, who's pretending to be uninterested in us as we approach.

"I'm coming with you two," I tell her.

"Oh good," she chimes. "I was going to insist on it anyway. It's always so much nicer when little human doggies already know what's good for them."

"I can tell this is going to be grating," I say, mostly to Link. Even as a wolf, his smirk is readily apparent.

Midna rolls her eyes. At least, I assume she rolls both; her strange headpiece hides her left eye; I only see her yellow and red right eye make the condescending expression. "So what now?" I ask, ignoring her.

"Faron's spring," Link says, grunting as Midna lands hard on his back. I can tell he's annoyed, but he doesn't say anything. It's probably because of that deal. I feel my shoulders tense up just at the thought of such a deal, of agreeing to be someone's slave, but I guess Link didn't have much of a choice. Otherwise, he'd still be stuck in the dungeon, and I'd be on the other side of the veil, unable to break in.

"Why?" I ask stupidly.

"When Midna first warped me to Ordon, I spoke with Ordona at the spring."

"With who?"

"Ordona. Light spirit at the spring. I had to rescue it from another one of those shadow beasts. It couldn't change me back to human, but told me that Faron could. Light spirit in the Faron spring," he adds. But I remember Faron. _I __can __only __recommend __that __you __not __reveal __yourself, __in __more __ways __than __one._

"Gotcha," I reply, shaking off the memory. As we make our way through the strange version of the woods, I focus on my new body. Walking on all fours feels completely natural, the way I usually do when I walk on two. My vision isn't much different, although it's hard to tell if my slight nearsightedness is a result of the Twilight, or my new form. My sense of smell is _unquestionably_ increased. Everything smells. The smells aren't all bad, just so very strong.

But unless being a wolf is going to help find the kids, Ilia, and Epona, the sooner we're human again, the better.


	7. A New Beginning

**Hi, folks. I've made the decision to start from scratch with Survivor. I love this story too much to entirely abandon it, but the only way I could keep writing it was to start from the beginning. I hope that you like the newer version-I'm posting the first chapter here so you can see if you're interested (and, if you want to cringe, so you can compare it to the original beginning of the story). If you like it and want to follow the new version, follow me (not this story!), and you'll get an alert when the new version is published as its own story.**

**tl;dr: This story is being rewritten entirely, so if you like this new first chapter, sign up for author alerts. Huzzah.**

* * *

Prologue: In the Beginning

Chapter 1: Storm

As clouds gathered along the horizon, my mood worsened.

It had been a week since I'd seen Link. He was supposed to visit again after getting that last spiritual stone, before he went to see the Princess. I understood that there were important things going on; Link was running this errand for the _Princess of Hyrule_, and in doing so, he was helping her save the world. But still, he had promised. And promises mattered to me.

Link knew that better than most people. We'd met because of a broken promise.

Dad had promised me he'd bring me with him the next time he went to market. He'd sometimes bring me with him when he'd deliver milk to villages, but never to Hyrule's main market town, right outside the castle itself. "It's one thing to keep an eye on you in a village," he said sternly. "But market's a big place. I've gotta keep an eye on you and on my customers, and on the cart." But I'd begged him until he'd finally said yes. And the following Sunday, as the sun rose over the kingdom, we were halfway to market.

The excitement wore off quickly enough, once I realized that we'd just be standing there for hours, making small talk with customers who came by every week and knew Dad well. Many of them were excited to meet me, and after a while, I was irritable from all the attention. I didn't dislike grown-ups; in fact, I preferred them to most kids my age. But when I'd go with Dad to a village, I could run around and play a bit. I didn't constantly have to be polite to strangers.

I got a break once business picked up. We were too busy to talk to everyone for several long minutes, and frequently, I could be the one to fetch milk, eggs, and wool from the wagon while Dad dealt with the next customer. I didn't understand how he did this by himself every week; maybe people were just chattier because they wanted to ask about me.

Business tapered off again towards the late afternoon, and before I knew it, it was time to make the delivery to the castle. To my dismay, Dad didn't want me coming with him. "Security being what it is, Malon," he said apologetically. "It'll take twice as long if you come with me, and then we won't be home in time for supper." He handed me some rupees. "Why don't you try your hand at some of the games in town? I'll meet you in front of the fountain in an hour."

An hour later, I emerged from the bombchu bowling alley with three times as many rupees as I'd started with, and a slingshot seed pouch I'd won earlier from the shooting gallery. Through the thinning crowd, I could see that Dad wasn't at the fountain yet, but I assumed he'd be by shortly. The fountain itself was expansive, with benches carved into the side. When I sat, my feet barely touched the ground.

An hour after that, there was still no sign of Dad. The supper crowd was mulling through market now; there was no way we'd be home in time for supper ourselves. I bristled with irritation; Dad had insisted that, had I gone with him, we'd have taken twice as long as he'd have taken alone. And here I was, twice-as-long later, and he wasn't done.

Another hour later, I was beginning to feel the chill of dusk. I'd brought a shawl with me, since the morning was so cold, but I left it on the wagon. I'd assumed that by the time the sun had set, we'd be on our way home and I'd have my shawl to wrap myself in.

The guards posted outside the track to the castle had begun to stare at me, perhaps wondering if I was a lost child they should help, or a distraction for a bandit or a spy. I avoided their gaze, choosing to memorize the patterns carved into the fountain rather, as if they couldn't see me if I couldn't see them. As I traced over a design in the stone I'd been staring at for the majority of my wait, I heard, and then felt someone approach me.

It was a boy about my age, wearing an unusual costume. I spied the hilt of a sword over his shoulder, and the pack he carried and the pouches on his belt suggested he was a traveling warrior—or a kid dressed up as one. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, although I obviously wasn't. "Do you want something?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," he said. "You looked upset."

"I can take care of myself," I said, trying to stay polite. "There isn't a costume festival today, you know," I said, trying to be helpful but coming off as kind of mean.

"What are you talking about?" He was genuinely confused.

"Never mind," I said, not wanting to explain that I was being a jerk. "Are you looking for something?"

"I'm on my way to the castle," he said. "I need to talk to Princess Zelda about saving Hyrule." He seemed entirely sincere. It was a little creepy.

"Good luck with that," I said, less sincerely. "If it were easy to get into the castle, I'd have gone hours ago. My dad went to deliver milk, eggs, and wool, and he hasn't come back."

"What does he look like?" the boy asked. "I'll look for him for you."

I stared at him for a few moments. He was dressed in strange clothes and he believed he was going to get into the castle and talk to the Princess. He seemed to really believe it. I felt bad for him.

"He's pretty big, he has a big mustache, and he's wearing blue overalls," I said. "Here." I reached into the makeshift pouch I'd made for my game winnings and handed him the seed satchel. "This is a thank-you for looking for him."

"Thanks!" the boy said, smiling. "This is a nice gift. I'm sure I'll find your father soon. It was nice to meet you." And he turned and walked away. After studying the guards for a few minutes, it seemed that he'd figured out (as I had) that a little kid wasn't going to be permitted to walk down the track so late in the evening, especially an unaccompanied kid. Especially an unaccompanied kid dressed the way he was dressed, carrying a sword and—I could see now—a shield. After a moment, he turned away and stalked off into the shadows of the market. It wasn't clear if he'd given up, if he'd come up with another strategy, or—my heart sank a bit—if he was a thief and he'd just been messing with me. Either way, I doubted he'd get into the castle, I didn't have a use for the seed pouch, and I was sure the guards would be coming by to ask me where my dad was soon.

Not ten minutes later, though, I saw our wagon speeding down the track; it almost knocked over the guards posted at the gate as it careened into the nearly empty square. "Malon, I'm so sorry!" Dad called out from atop the wagon as he stopped short in front of me. Bernard, our horse, snorted unhappily at the sudden stop. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad," I answered. I was surprised at how normal my voice sounded; I was surprised (had the mysterious boy found my dad, or was Dad's sudden arrival just a coincidence?), angry (why had he left me here so long?), and relieved (thank the goddesses he was finally back!). But not wanting to spend any more time in market, in the cold, I just climbed up onto the wagon.

That night, as I tried to sleep while ignoring the fight Mr. Ingo and Dad were having downstairs, it occurred to me that I hadn't bothered to even learn the kid's name. I figured it wasn't important. After all, what were the chances I was going to see him ever again?

Except that I did see him again. He showed up at the ranch a few days later. It was then that I learned that he had indeed found his way into the castle (he'd snuck in through the gardens), that he had been the one to find my dad (and, I was disappointed to learn, woken him up from a pretty powerful nap), and that he had managed to meet with the Princess herself, who had sent him on a quest. And, of course, that his name was Link.

Although Link was on a quest, he stayed at the ranch for a whole week. I had never spent this much time with another kid before. And it was so much more fun than it was when I'd go with Dad to the villages. I might have been a child, but I grew up on a ranch with my Dad, his best friend, and various teenaged stable hands; I'd never spent more than a few hours with someone my own age. And Link wasn't like all the kids I was used to playing with; he was rather quiet, and he talked about his quest the same way I talked about life on the ranch. He was like me: a mini-adult. Or at least, that's how it felt.

And we talked a _lot_ about his quest. How he'd saved his forest's guardian tree from a monstrous curse, only to have the guardian pass on anyway. How he was sent to find the Princess because he was the only member of his tribe without a fairy; his leader insisted it was because he was clearly expendable. But his best friend said that it was because his lack of a fairy meant that he was special, special in a way that made him the only Kokiri who could leave the forest, find the Princess, and help save the land.

After knowing him for a short period of time, I was inclined to believe his friend. I didn't understand the whole deal about fairies or leaving the forest, but he just oozed the kind of personality I'd come to expect of heroes, purely based on my experience reading fairy tales. He spoke of his quest very practically—he wasn't totally in awe of it—but he seemed realistic about the difficulties. And there was no doubt as to his abilities, either; he showed off some of his slingshot skills, and he was even better than I was.

The whole week wasn't just me listening intently to his stories and watching appreciatively while he demonstrated his hero abilities. He seemed genuinely interested in what life was like on the ranch, possibly because of his sheltered life in the forest. He also helped me out with my chores, although his innate hero skills didn't help him much. But his help meant more time to talk and mess around a bit with his slingshot and his sword.

Eventually, though, his quest had to continue. He told me about the beautiful spiritual stones he'd already acquired, and pointed in the compass direction of the last gem. "I don't know how long it'll take to get it," he said, "but I'll stop by to show you before I bring the stones to Princess Zelda."

"You could always just go straight to the Castle, and then come back for a visit," I said, trying to be practical. Of course, I wasn't _really_ trying to be practical. I knew that if he came back for a visit before he finished his quest, he'd be under more pressure to leave the ranch. If he waited to visit until _afterwards_, well, then … maybe he'd stay longer.

It would be nice having a friend around. Maybe he could even work on the ranch, I thought.

"Nah, I'd like to see you first," he said, before he blushed. I didn't know why. "Anyway, it only took me a day or so to get each of the first spiritual stones. I'm sure I'll be back in a few days. I promise."

But he wasn't.

It wasn't a good week anyway. Dad and Mr. Ingo were fighting more and more; the abandonment in Hyrule Castle Town market had been a spark that set off a fire. Mr. Ingo and I both knew that Dad would sometimes fall asleep unexpectedly and heavily, but I figured that what happened at market was an accident. Dad was obviously sick, so I didn't get why Mr. Ingo would be yelling at him. Maybe Mr. Ingo thought that Dad should have left me behind instead of caving to my whining; maybe that's why Dad had been so reluctant to take me with him to market. I wished he would get help for whatever was making him so sleepy, but I wasn't going to yell at him about it.

And then at the end of the week, the storm clouds started forming. It had been dreary for a couple of days, but the clouds over the castle were threatening. They were darker than I'd ever seen storm clouds be, and when Dad and Mr. Ingo weren't busy working or arguing, they were looking at the clouds, too.

They fit my mood. Link had broken his promise. It had been a week to the day that he'd left. He said he'd be back in a few days. And he wasn't.

That night, after I'd gone to sleep, I heard a strange tapping noise on my window. There was space between each tap, and the taps weren't evenly measured; if there had been a tree outside my window, I would have just guessed that the wind was blowing branches against the pane. But even in my half-asleep state, I knew that the sound wasn't just a weird trick of the night. I opened my eyes in time to see a small projectile hit the glass. _Tap._

I peered out the window and my heart made a sickening beat. _Link_. He was launching seeds at my window with his slingshot. I rushed downstairs as quietly as I could, only pausing to pull on my boots before I opened and closed the front door as quietly as I could (it was never a good idea to walk around a ranch barefoot). I wished I had thought to grab a coat as well, but I didn't anticipate a long conversation with Link. As I approached him, I imagined that he was going to apologize for how long it took for him to come back, and ask to sleep in the loft with the stable hands, just like he'd done a week ago. I assumed he had woken me up first so that I wouldn't be surprised to find him at the ranch in the morning.

He looked extremely concerned once I reached him. There was something different about his expression. Not exactly _wrong_. He wasn't some kind of weird evil double; this was definitely Link. But he seemed anxious, as if the entire future hung in the balance, and he seemed exhausted, as if he were years older and had seen some terrible things.

"Link, what's wrong?" I asked. Maybe he wasn't here to stay for a few days.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry that I didn't come back."

"Um, but you're here now," I pointed out.

"I can't stay," he said sadly.

"That's okay," I told him. And it was okay, even if it was confusing. "But you didn't need to come all the way over here in the middle of the night to apologize." I smiled a little. "A letter would have been totally enough, you know."

"Maybe," he answered, sounding unsure. "Listen." He stepped closer to me. I'd spent a whole week playing around with him, standing just as close (or, when he was teaching me how to handle a sword and shield, even closer), but this felt like a different kind of close. It occurred to me that he was a boy and we were totally alone. Everyone else was asleep. But I was listening.

"I'm not going to be able to see you for a while," he said, as if this was the most difficult thing for him to ever say to anyone. "It's going to be a long while. But I'm going to be back. Okay?"

"How long is long? Link, what's going on?" How did he know he'd be gone for so long? Was he going on a trip? Had he been accepted to train as a knight at the castle, and he wouldn't be able to visit until he was a squire?

"I can't say," he said. "Just a long time. But I _will_ be back. I promise."

"Why can't you tell me?" I hated how whiny I sounded, but I couldn't imagine any reason he had to keep such a secret, especially when it was obvious that he was very upset about it.

"Too much is at stake." That sounded like a grown-up excuse; I didn't appreciate hearing it from someone my own age. "But I promise, we'll see each other again."

"Well then," I said, a little too bitterly than I'd planned, "you'd better be ready to spend a whole lot of time with me when I do see you."

His eyes widened slightly at my comment, but before I could ask him if it was something I said (did I say something inappropriate?), he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me right on the mouth.

A boy I barely knew was kissing me on my mouth in the middle of the night after acting very strange and the kiss wasn't ending and 'desses, 'desses, 'desses! What was happening?

When he stopped kissing me (thank the goddesses!), he looked embarrassed. He clearly had not meant to do that. I could feel my entire face burning up and I had no idea what to say. I was still processing what on Din's green earth had just happened.

"I _will_ see you again," he said quietly, and then he ran.

* * *

**Again, if you like the new version, follow me (Sapphira603) and you'll get a notification when I upload the brand sparkly new version of the story. If you don't like it, or you're like, "Um, what the hell, I didn't even remember that I signed up for these alerts," then that's fine, too. **


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